ANNAPOLIS, MD – The NJIT men's basketball team comeback fell short to Navy 86-70 on Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action inside Alumni Hall.

The Highlanders found themselves down early with Navy's offense shooting lights out to start the game. Foul trouble and turnovers caused the Highlanders to trail early, and the team went into the break down by 15 points. Navy shot 17-27 from the field (63%) and 4-8 from deep (50%) and the Highlanders were unable to find their defensive rhythm. 

In the second half, the Highlanders showed fight, battling their way back into the game with freshman David Bolden going a 6-0 run himself after a scoreless first half.

What once was a lead as big as 20 for the Midshipmen, shrunk to seven points with under ten minutes to go in the second half. Trio of sophomore guards in Jeremy Clayville, Ari Fulton and Jordan Rogers all contributed to the Highlanders comeback but ultimately, the early defict was too large. 

Despite the loss, the Highlanders had five players score in double-digits. Leading the way was Clayville with 16 points on 4-8 shooting from behind the arc. Fulton recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Junior Sebastian Robinson scored a season-high 12 points and Rogers tied his season-high with 11. Bolden followed with 10 points of his own, all of which came in the second half.

Next Up
NJIT remains on the road as the Highlanders travel to Ohio on Monday, the 24^th to take on Cincinnati for a 7:00 p.m. start time. Stay up to date on all things NJIT Men's Basketball throughout the season by following @NJITHoops on X/Twitter and Instagram.