VESTAL, NY – The NJIT men's basketball took down Binghamton 73-65 to secure the America East opener on Saturday afternoon.
The Highlanders (6-10, 1-0 America East) opened America East play on the road at Binghamton and defense was a point of emphasize to try and shut down Binghamton's offense.
The Bearcats used a 9-2 run early in the first half to get ahead but the momentum shifted when the Highlanders forced two shot clock violations.
After twenty minutes of America East play, the Highlanders went into halftime down 37-34.
Junior
Sebastian Robinson led the way for a low scoring half with 11 points on 4-4 shooting from the field. Robinson knocked down a three at the buzzer to send the Highlanders into the break down by three.
Coming out of the half the Highlanders used a 5-0 run to tie the game up at 39.
The Highlanders took their first lead of the second half at the 9:55 mark thanks to a mid-range jumper from sophomore
Jeremy Clayville.
The Highlanders were surged by Robinson helping guide the offense to a 18-3 run to get their biggest lead of ten points with five minutes to remaining in the second half.
Leading the way for the Highlanders was Robinson who finished the game with 21 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. This marks his 8
th game scoring in double-digits and in five of his last six games he has scored at least ten points.
Graduate student
Melvyn Ebonkoli impressed in his first America East action, as well as his first start for the Highlanders, with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds on 6-9 shooting from the field.
Freshman
David Bolden was the third and final Highlander to score in double-figures with 12 points and led the team with three assists.
The last time the Highlanders won an America East opener was back during the 2021-22 season taking down Maine at home, 69-66.
With today's win, the Highlanders match their win total from last season (6) with playing a tougher non-conference schedule this season.
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.
