NASHVILLE, TN - The NJIT men's basketball team came close to erasing an 18-point first half deficit, but was never able to get the margin closer than two as it was defeated 77-63 by host Lipscomb in ASUN Conference action on Thursday.

The loss was the fourth-straight for NJIT (7-17, 4-7 ASUN), while Lipscomb (11-14, 6-6 ASUN) has now won three straight and four of its last five.

Lipscomb used an early 8-0 run to turn a tie game into an early 10-2 lead. The Bisons led by at least six points for the rest of the first half and as many as 18 late in the frame before a Reilly Walsh three-pointer in the final seconds made the score 40-25 at halftime. Walsh's triple was the Highlanders' first of the night as they shot just 1-of-12 (8.5%) from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

NJIT came out of the locker room strong and cut the margin to eight by the first media timeout of the second half. 

Lipscomb's lead was down to just two points, 46-44, as Walsh connected on a layup with 12:52 to play.

The Bisons answered, however, with the next nine points to get their lead back to double digits. 

Lipscomb's lead increased to a game-high 19 late in the half before the final outcome was 14 points.

Zach Cooks played all 40 minutes for the fourth time in the last five games and led NJIT with 22 points, while Walsh chipped in with a season-best 15 points. Cooks also tied a career-best with five steals, all in the second half.

Ahsan Asadullah scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds to complete the double-double and help Lipscomb avoid the season sweep by the Highlanders, who won the first matchup of the season 75-57 last month in Newark.

NJIT will return to the court on Saturday when it travels to Lynchburg, VA, to take on Liberty. Tip-off is slated for 7pm at the Vines Center.