Game Highlights (VIDEO)

Tim Coleman's Sensational Rejection (VIDEO)


RIVIERA MAYA MEXICO -- Senior Tim Coleman's jumper with 0:31 left in regulation gave NJIT (3-3) the lead for good and lifted the Highlanders to a 71-67 win over Idaho State (0-5) in the Consolation game of the Cancun Challenge on Wednesday afternoon at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya Hotel. The win marked the program's first-ever win against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
 
With things tied at 67 apiece and the shot clock winding down, Coleman sank a jumper from 18 feet out to give NJIT a 69-67 advantage. After Idaho State's Brandon Boyd missed a layup on the other end, senior guard Damon Lynn iced it for NJIT with a pair of free throws.
 
Lynn paced the Highlanders with 24 points while Coleman chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow senior Rob Ukawuba also finished in double figures with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
 
Boyd's career-high 26 points led the way offensively for the Bengals and Geno Luzcando added 13 points of his own.
 
Both teams shot the ball well from beyond the arc as NJIT hit 11-of-28 (39.3%) and Idaho State sank 9-of-22 (40.9%).
 
For the Highlanders, Lynn hit 6-of-13 from deep and Coleman was 3-of-4.
 
The second half was a back-and-forth affair that featured lead changes on both sides and momentum swings throughout.
 
Following a pair of free throws from Boyd that gave the Bengals a 44-40 lead with 15:33 to play, NJIT embarked on a 16-4 run capped by a three-pointer from Lynn to make it a 56-48 game.
 
Idaho State wouldn't go away quietly, however, as Boyd's triple on the other end kicked off a 15-6 run which resulted in a 63-62 lead for the Bengals with less than four minutes left.
 
The teams found themselves tied at 67 apiece in the final minute of the game before Coleman's clutch jumper gave the Highlanders the lead.
 
In fact, the senior forward scored eight of the final 12 points for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad in this one.
 
For the second straight day, NJIT raced out to an early lead as they scored 14 of the first 16 points on Wednesday.
 
Idaho State -- led by legendary coach Bill Evans, the 2016 Big Sky Coach of the Year, battled back with a 20-8 run over the next eight minutes that tied things at 22 apiece with 6:59 remaining in the opening stanza. The rest of the half featured a 6-0 spurt from the Highlanders and an ensuing 9-2 run from the Bengals before a layup from Coleman gave NJIT a 32-31 lead at the break.
 
The Highlanders outrebounded the Bengals 34-23, led by Coleman's 11 boards and six apiece from Ukawuba and sophomore Abdul Lewis.
 
Luzcando and Hayes Garrity paced Idaho State with five rebounds apiece.
 
Up next for NJIT is a road trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to face No. 17/19 Purdue on Saturday afternoon. Opening tip from Mackey Arena is slated for 3:30 p.m. It will mark the third straight season in which the Highlanders have faced a nationally ranked foe. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry