SAN DIEGO, CA - Miles Coleman scored a game-high 28 points and
Souleymane Diakite recorded his first double-double of the season, but the NJIT men's basketball team was defeated 74-64 by host San Diego on Sunday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Diakite made a layup with 3:16 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 31 before an 8-0 San Diego run gave the Toreros an eight-point lead, their largest of the first half. A pair of free throws from Coleman just before halftime made the score 39-33 after 20 minutes.
Coleman drained a three-pointer to open the second half scoring and cut the margin to three, but that was as close as the Highlanders got as San Diego opened up its lead to as many as 12 in the second half before ultimately winning by the 10-point margin.
Diakite provided the highlight of the game with a one-handed, put-back dunk midway through the half. Diakite, who has now scored at least 12 points in all three games this season, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Coleman nearly joined Diakite with a double-double as he grabbed nine boards to go along with his season-high 28 points, a mark which fell just two shy of his career high.
Raheim Sullivan joined Coleman and Diakite in double figures, scoring 11 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists, while
Da'mir Faison played the best game of his NJIT career, finishing with seven points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Jase Townsend led four San Diego players in double figures with a team-high 21 points.
NJIT will look to bounce back on Saturday when it hosts American in its home opener. Tip-off is slated for 4pm in the Wellness and Events Center in Newark.
