VIDEO: NJIT Highlights

Newark, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team got huge games from a pair of graduate students in Adam Hess and Kevin Osawe, but Bryant came from behind to defeat the Highlanders 79-78 in America East action on Wednesday evening at the Wellness and Events Center. 

Hess erupted for 20 points in the first half as NJIT scored 50, its highest first half point total of the season, and led the Bulldogs 50-37 at halftime.

The Highlanders increased the lead to 17 with just over 16 minutes to play and led 66-52 after a Hess three-pointer with 12:46 left, but Bryant answered with back-to-back three-pointers to get the margin back down to single digits.

Raheim Sullivan drained a three-point with 11:33 left to make it an 11-point game before a 15-0 Bryant run over the next six-plus minutes put the visitors in front by four. 

Bryant increased its lead to a game-high six, 77-71 with 3:23 left, but two-straight layups from Sullivan got it back down to a four-point game. 

The Bulldogs made a free throw with five seconds left to make the margin four before Osawe's three-pointer at the buzzer went down and made the final margin one just four days after the Highlanders fell by two points in overtime to first place Vermont. 

Hess established a new career-high with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-of-6 from deep) while playing not coming off the floor for the second-straight game. On Saturday, Hess played and Sullivan played all 45 minutes in the overtime game against UVM and the duo both played the full 40 minutes on Wednesday against Bryant.

Osawe recorded his second-consecutive double-double and ninth of the season, scoring 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The graduate student is 21 rebounds shy of the program's Division I single-season record for rebounds, set by Abdul Lewis when he pulled down 264 boards in 2016.

Sullivan and Kjell de Graaf each chipped in with seven points, while Sullivan also dished out a game-best five assists and had three steals.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday when they hit the road for a 7pm game at UAlbany.