Newark, N.J. – On the night he notched his 1,000
th career point, graduate student
Tim Moore Jr. finished with 24 points and a career-best 15 rebounds as the NJIT men's basketball team posted a dominant performance in an 83-62 win over UMass Lowell on Thursday night.
Moore scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, and was joined by
Tariq Francis' 21 points as the two Highlanders to surpass the 20-point mark.
Sebastian Robinson poured in 15 points along with seven assists, while
Ari Fulton pitched in 12 points in 39 minutes of action.
How it Happened
After UMass Lowell came out of the gates with the first two buckets, NJIT went to work. The Highlanders took an early eight point lead thanks to a 14-2 run over the following three minutes, capped by back-to-back buckets from Francis and Robinson. The NJIT lead hovered around the high single-digits for much of the opening half, eventually reaching double figures for the first time after a layup from Fulton at the 4:13 mark. The two sides would trade baskets for the final minutes of the frame and the Highlanders took a 38-30 lead into the locker room.
Early in the second half, Moore reached his milestone. The Houston native caught a pass from Francis on the right wing, knocking down a three-pointer to surpass the 1,000 point mark for his career.
The River Hawks tried to thwart the NJIT momentum, succeeding for one stretch when they cut the deficit down to five at the 15:50 mark. However, the momentum swung right back to the Highlander sideline, as the home side ripped off a 10-0 run to stretch the lead to 15, 58-43.
UMass Lowell did all it could to try and cut back into the NJIT lead, but the Highlanders had a counter for every punch the visitors threw. The biggest haymaker came courtesy of Moore, who crashed the glass after a missed three-pointer for the biggest highlight of the night.
News & Notes
- Moore is the first Highlander to finish a game with at least 24 points and 15 rebounds since Kevin Osawe tallied 29 points and 19 boards against Vermont on Feb. 18, 2023.
- Francis surpassed the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game.
- Jordan Rogers snagged 10 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
- NJIT shot 50 percent from the floor as a team in the second half and connected on 7-of-12 three-pointers after halftime.
Up Next
NJIT will look to sweep the weekend on Saturday when it welcomes in first-place Bryant at 2 p.m.
