VIDEO:
NJIT Highlights
Postgame Interview with Brian Kennedy and Matt Faw

NEWARK, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team won its third-straight home game Thursday, defeating visiting St. Elizabeth 76-43 at the Wellness and Events Center.

The Highlanders won back-to-back games for the first time this season and are now 4-3, while the Division III Eagles are still looking for their first victory after eight games. NJIT improves to 31-0 against non-Division I opponents since making the jump to Division I, including a 24-0 record against Division III squads.

"I thought we came out and looked a little tired, especiallly after playing two games against St. John's and Sacred Heart in the past few days," said Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "I liked the way we shared the ball today.

Matt Faw opened the game with two of his season-high 16 points and the Highlanders never looked back using a 15-2 run midway through the first half to open up a 15 point lead. 

The Highlanders took a 39-23 lead into the locker room at halftime with Faw and Dylan O'Hearn each carrying the load with 11 points. 

NJIT opened the second half with five-straight points to go ahead by 21, but St. Elizabeth never let the margin get any bigger until the Highlanders scored the final 11 points of the contest to win by 33.

Faw and O'Hearn led NJIT with 16 points apiece, while Miles Coleman chipped in with 14 of his own. 

"Matt (Faw) brought a ton of energy today, especially early on when some of our other guys weren't able to knock shots down," added Kennedy.

James Lee once again stuffed the stat sheet, scoring six points on 2-2 shooting, while grabbing a team-high-tying seven rebounds and dishing out a game-high four assists.

Da'Mir Faison and Mehki Gray both joined Lee with seven rebounds, as the Highlanders out-rebounded the Eagles 51-44. Faison scored his first six points of the season, while Chauncey Sterling scored the first two of his NJIT career. In all, 10 Highlanders found the scoring column.

 "Tonight was a great experience for some of our younger guys to get valuable experience," concluded Kennedy. "We're hoping it helps them down the road in the remainder of our non-conference schedule and into America East play."

The Highlanders will look for their first three-game winning streak since January of 2020 when they travel to Lafayette on Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 7pm in Easton.