MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Highlanders (5-5) took Minnesota to the brink, but came up just short in a 74-68 loss to the Golden Gophers (8-1) on Tuesday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
 
After senior forward Tim Coleman hit a layup to give NJIT a 61-58 lead with 7:16 left, Minnesota's Nate Mason hit a three on the other end to tie the game and kickstart a 16-7 run for the Gophers over the remainder of the game.
 
The Highlanders did not go away though as senior guard Damon Lynn and junior guard Chris Jenkins each missed three-pointers in the last three minutes that would have given the visitors the lead.
 
Mason's jumper with 1:19 left gave Minnesota a 69-65 advantage and the hosts made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
 
NJIT hit 10-of-14 (71.4%) on the night from the charity stripe and the Golden Gophers sank 23-of-29 (79.3%).
 
Senior guard Rob Ukawuba led the way for NJIT with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting while freshman Anthony Tarke chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds off the bench and Lynn added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sophomore center Abdul Lewis contributed nine points and nine rebounds for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad.
 
Ukawuba's 18 points represent a season-high and came within a basket of tying his career-high of 20. The East Brunswick, N.J., native connected on all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Senior guard Akeem Springs paced the Gophers with a game-high 19 points off the bench and he was joined in double figures by Mason (18 points), freshman guard Amir Coffey (13 points) and sophomore guard Dupree McBrayer who had 11.
 
The second half was a tightly contested affair with neither team leading by more than four points until McBrayer hit a pair of free throws with 0:38 left to stretch the lead to six.
 
In the early going, Minnesota jumped out to an early 9-2 edge before a 12-5 run from the Highlanders capped by a jumper from Lewis tied things at 14 apiece.
 
Tarke hit a layup with 4:41 left in the opening stanza to give NJIT their first lead at 26-24. The teams traded baskets over the remainder of the half and Mason's three in the final minute allowed the Gophers to take a 37-35 lead into the locker room.
 
The Highlanders will return to action on Saturday when they head to Ohio to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes (5-3). Opening tip from the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m.
 
Tonight marked the second game of a season-high five-game road trip for the Highlanders. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry