Fast Start Leads NJIT Men's Basketball to America East Win at UMass Lowell

Senior captain San Antonio Brinson continued his impressive season on Saturday afternoon as he helped lead the NJIT men's basketball team to a 73-67 America East conference victory against host UMass Lowell at the Costello Athletic Center. 

Brinson, who connected on the buzzer-beater to beat preseason-favorite Vermont on Monday, scored 15 of his team-high 25 points in the first half to help the Highlanders (3-2, 2-1 America East) build an early lead over the River Hawks (2-7, 1-4 America East).

"We had a huge win on Monday, and I was happy our guys came out with the same energy and passion today," said fifth-year Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "Road wins are hard to come by and despite their record, UMass Lowell is a good team that upset San Francisco earlier this season and took a ranked Ohio State team to the final minute."

Dylan O'Hearn drained the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, and it was followed up from buckets by Brinson and Antwuan Butler to put NJIT up 7-0 just over three minutes into the contest. The Highlanders kept their feet on the gas, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to lead 17-1 with 13:04 remaining. The margin ballooned to a game-high 20 points on several occasions midway through the half. 

"Getting off to a fast start was a focal point for sure," explained Brinson. "My coaches told me to be aggressive on defense and get to the rim on offense, and I did just that. The results speak for themselves."

UML dug into the lead, getting it down to nine, before a late run from NJIT made it 12, 35-23, as the teams went into the locker room for halftime. 

In addition to his 15 first half points, Brinson grabbed seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

The Highlanders were able to get their lead back to up as many as 17, 56-39, on a pair of free throws from Brinson with 10:53 left in the game. A three-pointer from senior captain Zach Cooks made it a 13-point game, 68-55, with 4:35 on the clock, but UMass Lowell was able to make it interesting.

The River Hawks cut into the NJIT lead and eventually made it a five-point game on three different occasions in the final 2:17. UML was unable to get within five, however, and the Highlanders held on for their second-straight road victory.

Brinson's 25 points came of 8-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long range. The Georgia native also drained 7-of-8 free throw attempts and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in the victory. 

O'Hearn (15 points), who made his first-career start, and Cooks (10 points) scored double figures, as they have done in all five games so far this season. Souleymane Diakite was also once again impressive finishing with eight points and seven rebounds.

"It feels good to have all these guys that can help us win games," added Brinson. "We have a bunch of guys that can contribute, and it wasn't just the guys that scored. I thought Antwuan (Butler) was great today and so was everyone that came off the bench."

The game was the 100th of Cooks' prolific career, and the Preseason All-America East guard recorded his 200th-career steal in the victory.

"Today might not have been a 'Zach Cooks game' from a scoring perspective, but he hit a huge shot down the stretch and didn't force anything," concluded Kennedy. "Those milestones are really a reflection of his career and how successful he has been here at NJIT." 

Obidiah Noel scored a game-high 26 points to lead the River Hawks on Saturday.

NJIT will look to sweep the series against UML and win its third-straight game on Sunday when the squads meet again at 1 p.m. in Lowell.