Box Score
NEWARK, NJ—Freshman guard Drejon Scott scored a game-high 15 points, leading six double-figure scorers for victorious New Jersey Institute of Technology in a 96-54 win over visiting St. Joseph’s of New York in college basketball Monday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
NJIT, in its first season as a full member of NCAA Division I, never trailed in defeating the Bears from Brooklyn, NY, who were playing their season opener. The Highlanders are 1-1 after winning Monday’s home opener.
Eight of NJIT’s 12 players on the night were freshmen, including Scott, who got 12 of his game-high 15 points in the first half, as the Highlanders built a 43-24 lead by the break and never looked back. The sharp-shooting freshman shot 5-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-9 on three-point attempts.
The next two NJIT scorers—Nick Lopez (14 points) and Sammy Schickel (13 points)—are first-year players, as well. Lopez, an active forward, made all four of his attempts from the field, and Schickel, who missed the entire 2008-09 season due to injury, collected nine rebounds in his second college game.
Junior Jheryl Wilson, the most experienced Highlander, and sophomore Isaiah Wilkerson each added 12 points for NJIT and Wilkerson had a game-high 10 rebounds, leading the Highlanders to a 68-37 advantage in that category. Wilkerson, who never had a double-double in 22 games as a freshman, has notched double-doubles in each of his first two sophomore games.
Freshman guard PJ Miller scored 10 points to round out the list of double-figure for the Highlanders.
Burly junior forward Jon Matzelle led St. Joseph’s in points (13) and rebounds (8).
St. Joseph’s trimmed the home team’s lead to just five points, 19-14, on a pair of free throws by senior guard Lew Monaco with 10:18 left in the first half. But Wilson hit back-to-back baskets to ignite an 11-0 NJIT run in a span of 2:32 that closed with a drive and emphatic dunk by Flores out of a half-court set, making it 30-14 for the Highlanders with 6:35 left in the first half.
NJIT’s biggest lead was 46 points at 87-41 with 4:16 remaining in the game.
The next two games for the Highlanders are at home in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center, beginning with a 4 pm game Saturday against Lafayette. The contest is part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader that begins at 2 pm, with the NJIT women hosting their counterparts from Maine.