ORONO, ME - The NJIT men's basketball team was defeated 68-58 by host Maine in America East Conference action at The Pit at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

The Highlanders shot 52.2% (12-of-23) from the field in the first half and led by five, 30-25, at halftime as Tariq Francis' three-pointer at the buzzer narrowly rimmed out.

NJIT's shooting went cold in the second half as the Highlanders hit just 27.3% (9-of-33) after halftime. 

Maine closed the gap early in the second half and eventually took the lead 35-34 on a layup with just more than 15 minutes to play. Elijah Buchanan answered with a basket to put NJIT back on top and Francis followed it up with a three-pointer to make the lead four. Buchanan hit another tough bucket to close out the 7-0 Highlanders and give his squad a 41-35 lead.

From there it was all Maine, however, as the hosts went on a 17-1 run to go ahead by double-digits before ultimately winning the game by the 10-point margin.

Buchanan and Francis each had 16 points to pace the Highlanders, while Levi Lawal and Mekhi Gray chipped in with nine apiece. Gray also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists.

Maine was led by Peter Filipovity, who scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Quion Burns scored 13 points off the bench for the Black Bears. 

The Highlanders return to action on Thursday when they host UMBC at 7pm in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in Newark. NJIT will honor its lone senior Mekhi Gray and five graduate students - Justin Anderson, Elijah Buchanan, Kjell de Graaf, Adam Hess, and Daniel Schreier - prior to the opening tip-off.