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Rob Ukawuba's SC Top-10 Dunk (#3 on 11-26-16)


WEST LAFAYETTE, IN -- NJIT (3-4) battled for all 40 minutes, but fell to No. 17/19 Purdue (5-1) by a score of 79-68 on Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
 
Holding a three-point lead at halftime, the Boilermakers started the second half on a 10-2 run capped by a three-pointer from Carsen Edwards to make it a 47-36 game with 15:39 left.
 
The Highlanders did not go away quietly, however, and the Purdue lead never got bigger than 19 points over the final 15 minutes of the game.

"Purdue is a top 20 team in the country and they have two of the best big men in college basketball. Coach [Matt] Painter is a heck of a coach and he's got a heck of a team this year," head coach Brian Kennedy said. 

"I just wanted my guys to keep fighting and keep fighting because that's what NJIT basketball is all about," Kennedy added. "We don't have the highest recruits in the country and we're not the biggest or strongest team, but we accept who we are and we need to play that way in order to be successful."

Purdue has one of the elite men's basketball programs in the nation, having been to the NCAA Tournament 28 times while producing 49 All-Americans and two No. 1 overall picks in the NBA draft. In fact, the Boilermakers are tied with the Hoosiers of Indiana University for the most Big Ten Championships (22) in conference history. Meanwhile, NJIT is in just its second season participating in an automatic qualifying conference (ASUN) and 11th as a Division-I member. 
 
Following a free throw from Isaac Haas to give the Boilermakers a 75-56 lead with 4:26 to play, the Highlanders closed the game on a spirited 12-4 run and cut the lead to nine points in the final minute.
 
Senior guard Damon Lynn hit 8-of-13 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 33 points to pace NJIT while junior Chris Jenkins shot 4-of-6 from deep to chip in with 12 points off the bench. Freshman Anthony Tarke registered seven points and four rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Twenty of Lynn's 33 points came in the second half and the Hillside, N.J., native recorded five steals and three assists as well.

"Damon is a once-in-a-generation player at our level and when he gets on a roll like he was tonight, he can light it up against anybody" Kennedy said. 
 
As a team, the Highlanders hit 13-of-28 (46.4%) from downtown on the afternoon.
 
Sophomore forward Caleb Swanigan led the way offensively for Purdue with 22 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 10-of-10 on free throws while Edwards added 19 off the bench. Vince Edwards also contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for Painter's squad.
 
In the first half, a jumper from Abdul Lewis gave NJIT a 16-15 lead with 10:15 remaining in the opening stanza.
 
However, Purdue quickly responded on the other end with a jumper from Haas to kickstart a 19-8 run to give the hosts a 34-24 advantage.
 
Lynn scored the final 10 points of the half for the Highlanders as part of a 10-3 run to close the half which cut the Purdue lead to 37-34 heading into the locker room.
 
NJIT forced 16 Boilermaker turnovers on the afternoon, led by the five steals from Lynn.
 
The Highlanders will return home on Wednesday night to host Saint Francis (PA) at Fleisher Athletic Center. Opening tip is slated for 7 p.m. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry