NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team wins third straight on Thursday night with 81-56 win over UMass Lowell and improve to 7-2 in America East play.

The Highlanders opened the game on a 26 to 5 run after the River Hawks scored the opening the basket.

Graduate student Melvyn Ebonkoli delivered a dominant performance in the paint with 14 points on 7-7 shooting from the field heading into the break.

The Highlanders went into halftime up 42-15, their biggest lead heading into half this season and only allowed the River Hawks to score 15 points on five field goals, which is both the lowest for the opponent in a half this season. 

In the final twenty minutes of play the Highlanders' offense exploded with five Highlanders in double figures, led by sophomore Ari Fulton, who recorded his second consecutive double-double and sixth of the season. Fulton finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while also knocking down three three-pointers to spark the Highlanders' offense.

Ebonkoli delivered a dominant performance in the paint, pouring in a career-high 20 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field. Ebonkoli controlled the interior on both ends of the floor, adding seven rebounds and two blocks.

Sophomore Jordan Rogers recorded another double-digit performance with ten points and sophomore Quentin Duncan recorded 13 points off the bench, his second double-digit game in the last three games.

America East Player of the Week junior Sebastian Robinson added ten points to the Highlanders offense, his seventh straight game in double-figures.

With the win, the Highlanders improved to 7–2 in conference action, marking the most America East victories in program history since joining the league. The victory also secured the Highlanders first three-game winning streak since January of 2022.

Next Up
NJIT concludes their homestretch on Saturday, February 7^th when the Highlanders welcome Binghamton for a 4:00 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.