VIDEO: NJIT Highlights

NEWARK, NJ - Kevin Osawe recorded his first double-double of the young season on Sunday, but it wasn't enough as the NJIT men's basketball team fell to visiting Wagner 62-57 at the Wellness and Events Center.

Wagner scored the first basket of the game before the Highlanders answered with seven-straight points and remained in front for the duration of the half. NJIT led by as many as eight in the first half, but a late Seahawks run made the score 29-27 in favor of the hosts as the team's headed into their locker rooms at halftime. 

The Highlanders opened the second half scoring with a nifty alley oop from Mekhi Gray to Osawe, who caught the ball in mid-air and laid it into the hoop. 

NJIT's four-point lead was quickly erased, however, as back-to-back three-pointers from Javier Ezquerra sandwiched a Souleymane Diakite layup to make the score 33-33 early in the half.

Ezquerra followed up with another three-pointer to put Wagner in front 36-33 and the Seahawks never trailed the rest of the way.

Wagner opened up its lead to a game-high 10 points with just under seven minutes to play, but the Highlanders didn't go away. Instead, NJIT answered with a 6-0 run on a pair of free throws from Adam Hess, and layups from Osawe and Raheim Sullivan to make the score 54-50 with 3:40 on the clock.

The margin was cut to one when Sullivan finished off an old-fashioned three-point play with exactly 2:00 to play, but that was as close as the Highlanders were able to get. 

Wagner missed a free throw with seven seconds left and keep it a three-point game to give NJIT a chance, but the Highlanders turned the ball over off the rebounds and the Seahawks held on for the victory. 

Osawe scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead NJIT, which also got double-digit scoring performances from Sullivan and Diakite, who finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Adam Hess chipped in with eight points off the bench, including a pair of first-half three pointers.

NJIT shot 5-for-10 from three-point range in the first half, but was unable to connect on a three-pointer after halftime. 

Jahbril Price-Noel led all scorers with 19 points for Wagner. 

NJIT will look to bounce back on Wednesday when it travels to take on Cincinnati. The Highlanders and Bearcats are slated to tip-off at 7pm on ESPN+.