PHILADELPHIA, PA – The NJIT men's basketball team falls to Penn on New Year's Eve, 80-61, to close out non-conference play.
The Highlanders were powered by strong guard play to start the game down in Philadelphia.

Freshman David Bolden led the offense for the Highlanders with a hot start going 4-6 from the field and scoring 10 points. Bolden's first half is highlighted by two deep threes that he laced to give the Highlanders momentum heading into the break.

Junior Sebastian Robinson facilitated the offense leading the team in both rebounds and assists at the half with five rebounds and three assists. The guard also scored eight points and was perfect from the line coming off the bench.

After twenty minutes of play, the Highlanders found themselves down 35-33 after a buzzer beating three from Penn and that big shot carried over into the second half with the Quakers going on a 9-0 run forcing the Highlanders to take an early timeout.

After the timeout, the Quakers continued their scoring run extending their lead to as much as 14 points with just under 16 minutes left in the second half, which forced another Highlander timeout.

The Highlanders defensive struggles carried over into their offensive game plan, and it was all Quakers for the remainder of the game.

Leading the way for the Highlanders was Bolden who finished with 18 points on 7-15 shooting from the field. Followed behind him was sophomore Jordan Rogers who scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 2-4 from behind the arc. Rogers also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The Highlanders concluded their non-conference slate with five wins, which is their most non-conference wins since the 2021-22 season (5).

Next Up
NJIT returns to Newark for their conference home opener as the Highlanders welcome New Hampshire on Thursday, January 8^th 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.