NEWARK - The NJIT men's basketball team was defeated 69-55 by visiting Binghamton on Saturday afternoon in America East action at the Joel and Diane Wellness and Events Center. 

Tariq Francis opened the scoring with a three-pointer and after Binghamton answered with a layup, Francis hit another triple to make the score 6-2.

The Bearcats tied the score at 6-6 and took their first lead of the game with 11:12 on the clock when a jumpshot from Dan Petcash made it 12-11 in favor of the visitors. 

Binghamton opened up the margin to as many as seven several times in the first half before the Highlanders cut it to two just before halftime. Another Petcash jumper in the final minutes of the first half made the score 32-28 Binghamton at halftime. 

The Bearcats scored the first six points of the second half to go ahead by 10 and led by at least six the rest of the way before ultimately winning by the 16-point margin.

Francis was NJIT's top scorer as the rookie finished with 18 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals. He was joined in double figures by Mekhi Gray who scored 14 points, thanks in part to a perfect 10-for-10 effort from the foul line. Levi Lawal, another NJIT freshman, also put together a solid game, finishing with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds. 

Armon Harried led the Bearcats with 17 points while playing all 40 minutes on Saturday. Symir Torrence returned from injury for Binghamton and scored two points, but filled the stat sheet with eight boards and eight assists. 

The Highlanders will look to bounce back on Thursday when they travel to New Hampshire. Tip-off is slated for 7pm in Durham, NH.