ORLANDO, FL - The NJIT men's basketball team dropped the final game of its season-long, four-game road trip on Saturday, falling to host UCF 78-65 at the Addition Financial Arena. 

UCF (6-2) opened the game draining 11 of its first 14 shots, while racing out to a 25-10 lead. NJIT (2-7) scored the next seven points to cut the deficit to eight, and was able to get within four, 26-22, on Zach Cooks' third three-pointer of the opening half.

The Knights answered the run, however, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to jump out to another double-digit lead.

The UCF lead was 41-30 at halftime as Cooks led all scorers with 16 points, while also leading all players with six rebounds.

Cooks scored the opening basket of the second half to get the Highlanders within single digits again, but they'd get no closer as the Knights scored the next six to go ahead by 15 and led by as many as 27 late in the second half.

A 14-2 NJIT run to close the game made the final margin 13 points.

Cooks scored 26 points for his seventh 20+-point effort in eight games. The 5'9 guard also finished with a game-high 11 rebounds to complete his second-career double-double and never came off the floor to record his second 40-minute game of the season.

Reilly Walsh came off the bench and scored a season-high eight points for NJIT, while also stuffing the stat sheet with three assists, three boards and three steals. 

Five different Knights scored in double figures on Saturday, led by Ceasar DeJesus' 17-point effort.

For the game, UCF shot 51.6% (32-for-62), while NJIT was 37.5% (24-for-64) from the field. The Highlanders out-rebounded their opponents for the third-straight game.

After three weeks of road games, NJIT will get to play in front of its home crowd on Wednesday when it hosts UMass-Lowell. Tip-off is slated for 7pm in the WEC.