BURLINGTON, VT - The NJIT men's basketball team was defeated 76-55 by host Vermont in America East Conference action on Saturday afternoon in Patrick Gymnasium.

The Catamounts, who won the last two America East Tournament Championships and were picked to win another this season, opened up the game with a pair of three-point makes and never looked back.

Mekhi Gray got the Highlanders on the board to make it 6-2, but UVM answered with eight in a row to go ahead 14-2 and led by at least eight for the duration of the game. 

Vermont sank its seventh three-pointer of the first half as the halftime buzzer sounded to take a 37-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

The Catamounts extended their lead to as many as 27 in the second half before ultimately winning the game by the 21-point margin to extend their conference winning streak to 18, the longest in NCAA Division I. 

Elijah Buchanan and Justin Anderson each scored 11 points to lead the Highlanders. Anderson made three of NJIT's seven threes, all of which came after halftime as the Highlanders finished the game 7-for-20 (35.0%). 

Anderson led NJIT with six boards, while Buchanan and Eyal Nankin each pulled down five.

Isaac Hester came off the bench late and made both of his three-point attempts for the Highlanders. 

Vermont finished the game 11-for-25 (44.0%), with TJ Long and Jace Roquemore each draining three. Long led all scorers with 17 points, while Roquemore scored 14. Aaron Deloney finished with 12 points and seven assists for the Catamounts.

NJIT returns home for three-straight games in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Centers. The homestand will begin Thursday night with a 7pm game vs. New Hampshire.