Box Score

NEWARK, N.J. – NJIT erased a 17-point deficit by scoring the last 17 points of the first half and used a strong finish to claim the Great West Conference regular-season title with a 69-58 victory over Houston Baptist, snapping the Huskies' eight game winning streak Saturday afternoon at the Fleisher Center.
 
Freshman guard Rob Lewis came off the bench to lead the Huskies (12-15, 3-4 GWC) with a career-high 16 points. Senior guard Anthony Hill added 13 points, while freshman forward Dauson Womack had nine. Senior forward Art Bernardi had scored in double figures in 11-straight games, but was held to eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
Chris Flores shot 7-of-17 from the field and led the Highlanders (16-11, 6-1) with 21 points and six rebounds. PJ Miller went 5-for-11 from the field and scored 17 points. Ryan Woods and Ky Howard also had six rebounds to tie Flores for the team lead.
 
HBU shot 35 percent from the field, while NJIT shot 36 percent for the game. The Huskies made 6-of-20 from 3-point range, while the Highlanders made 3-for-13. NJIT went 26-of-34 from the free throw line, and HBU went 12-for-22. The Huskies outrebounded the Highlanders, 44-37, but NJIT won the turnover battle, 17-10.
 
Bernardi opened the first half scoring with a jumper, but Woods answered with a three. Crayton scored back-to-back baskets that sparked a 10-0 run to give the Huskies a 12-3 lead with 13:15 left. Odera made a pair of free throws to end the Highlanders' drought, but Lewis came back with a jumper. After Howard made a layup, NJIT's first field goal in nearly seven minutes, Lewis and Smith made back-to-back 3-pointers to give HBU a 20-7 lead.
 
Lewis found Joyce underneath for a layup to extend the Huskies' lead to 15, then Miller scored on a layup on the other end. Lewis knocked down a 17-footer, then made a steal and took the distance as HBU led 26-9 with 7:20 to go.  NJIT then scored the last 17 points of the half, tying the game on Miller's floater with three seconds left. During the run, Flores made a three-point play and a 3-pointer. The teams went into the break even, 26-26.
 
HBU shot 39 percent in the period, while NJIT shot 24 percent, with each hitting a pair of threes. The Huskies went 2-for-5 from the free throw line, while the Highlanders were 10-for-11. NJIT outrebounded HBU, 21-20. Lewis led the Huskies with nine points, while Flores led the Highlanders with seven.
 
The Huskies quickly took the lead back in the second as Hill buried a three and Crayton made a free throw, but Flores hit a pair of jumpers to tie the game, 30-30. Hill drilled another trey, but Miller answered with a three-point play to tie it again with 16:09 left. Bastian hit a hook to give NJIT its first lead since the 18:46 mark of the first half, but Bernardi got a putback layup and hit one of two free throws to put the Huskies back up by one.
 
Miller hit a layup, then Bernardi tied the game with a free throw at the 13:00 mark. Miller knocked down a long two, the Womack hit a pair of free throws. Bastian made another short jumper, but Lewis drained a three to put the Huskies ahead 42-41 with 11:01 to go, then Sydnor made one of two free throws to knot it up.
 
NJIT scored the next six on two free throws and a layup by Flores and a layup by Howard to lead 48-42 with 9:11 left. Hill made his third three of the half to cut the Highlanders' lead to 52-49 with 4:39 remaining, but Sydnor and Flores each hit a pair of free throws to extend NJIT's lead to seven. Womack hit one of two from the line, then Flores sank a three as the Highlanders led 59-50 at the 3:00 mark and went on to an 11-point margin of victory.
 
The Huskies wrap up the regular season when they host Chicago State on Senior Night Saturday, March 9 at 7:05 p.m. at Sharp Gym.