Highlanders Use Strong Defense to Roll to Third-Straight ASUN Win

The NJIT men's basketball team won its third-straight ASUN Conference game, defeating visiting Kennessaw State 66-48 at the WEC on Saturday.

The win marked the first time the Highlanders (6-12, 3-2 ASUN) have held a Division I opponent to less than 50 points since a 55-44 victory over UMass-Lowell on December 7, 2013. Kennesaw State (1-17, 0-5 ASUN) shot just 30.9% (17-for-55) in the loss on Saturday.

"I really liked our effort defensively, especially in the first half," said Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "That team is much better than their record shows; they are a dangerous group."

Both teams traded baskets early until a driving layup from Diego Willis put NJIT in front 11-9 with 10:43 to play in the first half.

The Highlanders kept the momentum going and put together a 27-9 run over a span of 10+ minutes to take control of the game and eventually led by 12, 32-20, at halftime. Willis was NJIT's leading scorer at the break, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and draining three foul shots. 

The momentum carried into the second half as Zach Cooks scored five quick points during an 11-2 run that pushed the Highlanders' lead to a comfortable 23-point margin.

"We were able to get a big lead early, and we never took our foot of the gas," explained Cooks. "We're learning what it takes to do to win."

NJIT's offense went stale for a six-minute span in the second half, but the lead was never less than 13 en route to a third-straight double-digit victory.

Cooks was NJIT's top scorer for the 13th time this season. The junior captain tallied 19 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three of the team's 16 assists.San Antonio Brinson and Willis joined Cooks in double figures, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Kennedy's team improved to 5-0 this season when recording 16 or more assists. Reilly Walsh led the Highlanders in that category on Saturday, tallying five assists for the second-straight game. 

Souleymane Diakite and Xavier Mayo proved to be an efficient tandem down low for the Highlanders, combining to score 14 points and grab 11 rebounds. Eight of those points came on 3-of-4 shooting from Mayo to establish a new career-high.

"Everyone is playing together and there is no question its helping us get wins," concluded Cooks. 

Jamie Lewis led the Owls with 14 points, while Tyler Hooker scored 13.

The Highlanders will look to keep their winning streak going Thursday when they travel to Deland, Florida to take on Stetson at 7 p.m.