NEWARK, New Jersey — The New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders took a nine-point lead in the second half and then held off the Maine Black Bears for a 90-86 men’s basketball victory Monday night at the Fleisher Center.
The Highlanders used a balanced scoring attack to beat the Bears, with five players reaching double figures. Winfield Willis paced the attack with 20 points, Ky Howard added 17 and Odera Nweke put in 16. Tim Coleman added 12 and Damon Lynn netted 12.
The Black Bears also showed off good offensive balance and shot well from the field, hitting 30 of 59 shots (50.8) percent, including nine of 19 (47.4 percent) from three-point lead.
Guard Shaun Lawton sparked the Bears with 20 points, hitting three of four three-pointers, and chipped in with with four assists. Forward Ethan Mackey scored his team’s first eight points and finished with 18 points on a seven-for-nine effort from the field. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Guard Zarko Valjarevic and forward Till Gloger chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Valjarevic hit four of seven three-pointers.
The Bears were hurt by turnovers, however, committing 18 compared with the Highlanders’ 13, with Lawton making six turnovers. Maine did outrebound NJ Tech 33-29.
Maine sophomore swingman Garet Beal didn’t make the trip after suffering an injury during a recent practice.
After trailing by as much as nine points in the second half, the Bears cut it to 83-81 when Gloger hit two free throws with 1:13 left.
The Highlanders responded when Nweke converted a conventional three-point play with 54 seconds remaining to put his team up 86-81.
Neither team could scored on their next offensive possessions, but Lawton responded for the Bears when he sank a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to cut the NJIT lead to 86-84.
Lawton then tried for a steal, but fouled Howard, who made one free throw with 23 seconds left.
Maine’s Aaron Calixte then missed a shot off a hard drive to the basket and the Highlanders hit three more free throws to secure the victory.
Calixte, a freshman guard, finished with six assists.
The Highlanders, who beat Maine twice last season, improved to 1-1 while the Black Bears slipped to 0-2.
Maine returns to action Friday night at Central Michigan.