NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 70-64 decision to Vermont on Saturday night at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.

Vermont struck first, scoring the game's opening four points in a slow-paced start. 

NJIT quickly flipped the momentum with a commanding 15-0 run over a five-minute stretch. Graduate student Melvyn Ebonkoli ignited the surge with a momentum-shifting block on the defensive end, while freshman David Bolden capped the run with a four-point play to give NJIT a double-digit advantage.

Vermont settled in midway through the half, answering with an 8-0 run to even the score at 26-26 with two minutes remaining before the break. 

Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field in an evenly played first half, heading into the locker room tied 30-30.

The Catamounts carried their momentum into the second half, opening on a 7-0 spurt to force a quick NJIT timeout. The contest remained tight between two of the conference's top teams, highlighted by a four-minute scoring drought on both sides as defenses controlled the tempo.

Vermont broke through to regain the lead in the final minutes, but junior Sebastian Robinson sparked a late Highlander push with aggressive drives and key buckets. NJIT was forced to foul in the closing seconds, and Vermont converted at the free-throw line to seal the 70-64 victory.

Robinson led NJIT with 16 points, while Bolden added 15 and Ebonkoli contributed 14 to round out the Highlanders' double-figure scorers.

With the loss, NJIT moved to 10-4 in conference play but secured a top-four seed earlier in the day following UMBC's win over UAlbany.

Next Up
NJIT closes its regular-season road schedule at Bryant on Saturday, February 28, with tip off set for 4 p.m.

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