VIDEO: NJIT Highlights

LOWELL, MA - Miles Coleman scored 16 first half points and surpassed his previous career-high of 24 midway through the second half, before Dylan O'Hearn got hot late, scoring 17 second half points to help lead the NJIT men's basketball team past host UMass Lowell, 77-72, in America East Conference action on Thursday evening at the Costello Athletic Center.

Coleman, the reigning America East Conference Player of the Week, established a new career-high of 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, while O'Hearn finished with 19 to help the Highlanders increase their overall record to 7-5 and remain unbeaten through two America East Conference games. UMass Lowell is now 8-6 on the season and is still looking for its first conference victory after a pair of games.

Neither team led by more than three early before a 10-1 NJIT run turned an 11-11 tie into an eight-point lead for the visitors. The Highlanders increased their lead to nine points, 30-21, with just under four minutes to play on a driving layup from Mekhi Gray. 

UMass Lowell answered, cutting the deficit to four in the final seconds of the half, but a deep three-pointer from Antwuan Butler beat the buzzer and put the Highlanders ahead 35-28 after 20 points. 

The Riverhawks made the first run of the second half, scoring 17 of the first 21 points, to lead by as many as six, 47-41, with just over 12 minutes on the clock. The Highlanders scored the next eight points, with four coming from Coleman and the other four from O'Hearn to grab the lead back.

UML tied the game 49-49 with 9:42 to play, but O'Hearn answered with the first of his three second half three-pointers to put NJIT back in front, 52-49. The Highlanders held onto the lead from there thanks to tremendous three-point shooting down the stretch. 

In addition to O'Hearn's three second half three-pointers, Coleman and Butler each hit a late triple as NJIT was 5-for-9 (55.6%) from deep in the second half. 

Butler joined Coleman and O'Hearn in double figures, scoring 13 points of his own, while grabbing three rebounds, recording three steals, and dishing out three assists. The senior point guard didn't turn the ball over once in 38+ minutes of action on Thursday. As a team, NJIT tallied 15 assists to just seven turnovers. 

Coleman led the Highlanders on the boards, just missing his second-straight double-double with nine rebounds. The senior also recorded a team-high four assists. 

The 30-point performance was the second by a Highlander this season, following O'Hearn's Division I program record 42 points earlier this season in a win at Lafayette. Coleman has now scored 20 or more points four times this season.

NJIT is right back at it on Saturday when they travel to take on the only other 2-0 team in the America East Conference, Binghamton. Tip-off against the Bearcats is slated for 4pm at the Events Center in Vestal, NY, and the game can be streamed for free on ESPN3.