The Bronx, NY– The NJIT Highlanders improved to 2-6 after an 80-77 win over the Fordham Rams at the historic Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday night.
NJIT was fighting an uphill battle all night and down at most by 12 points. Their luck changed dramatically when they took the lead in the second half with 1:20 left in the game when Sebastian Robinson made a two-point jump shot to give the Highlanders a 74-73 lead. In the next Fordham possession, Antrell Charlton made a jumper from the free throw line to give Fordham a 75-74 lead. But NJIT was up to the challenge when Elijah Buchanan made a left-hand layup to give NJIT the lead right back at 76-75. Fordham called a timeout to set up a play, with the crowd in a frenzy. Japhet Medor was fouled and goes to the free throw line where he makes two free throws and gave the lead back to Fordham. Everyone who was in the gym was on their feet when Buchanan drove to the basket but missed and his teammate Kjell de Graaf put in the putback to give NJIT a lead that they would not give up. Fordham missed a layup at the other end of the floor and NJIT was able to seal it with two free throws as they waved goodbye to the Fordham faithful. Senior guard Mekhi Gray lead the Highlanders in scoring with 21 points while graduate student Buchanan added 18 points.
Coming into the game, it seemed that Fordham was going to be able to handle NJIT easily as they were a 16-point favorite. In the first half it seemed that Fordham was going to cover the spread. Especially, with preseason All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team Abdou Tsimbila anchoring the backend of the defense with four blocks in the half. They forced NJIT to shoot from the outside where they shot 5-of-16 from the three-point line. Because of their great defense, they were able to build a lead by taking advantage of their size and scoring in the paint. Fordham attempted eight free throws in the first half, connecting on only three. There was balanced scoring throughout Fordham’s lineup which helped them to take a 42-32 lead at halftime. Josh Rivera led the way with eight points while Elijah Gray had seven points at the half.
In the second half, it seemed that Fordham lost their urgency and slowly let NJIT back in the game. They had unfortunate turnovers and fouls that allowed the Highlanders to stick around and believe that they could win the game. NJIT was able to do timely shooting from the three-point line and the free throw line to get back in the game. Fordham is known for their defense and their defense was optional in the second half as they gave up 48 points. They also allowed 15 second chance points by not blocking out and securing the rebound.
Tsimbila was the most impressive player in the game, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks. He runs the floor well, has a big body and hands and uses his strength to finish in the paint in traffic. Because of his agility, he is able to have great timing on his blocks and is a good secondary defender. Tsimbila has a nice follow-through on his shot from the free throw line. Most of his shots come from within the paint. He can finish at the basket with both hands and dribble with a purpose. He seals off his defender to get a good position in the post and if it doesn’t work the first time, he throws the ball out again and reseals. He maintains the ball when he dribbles and moves at his own speed. He moves on defense and, as a result, makes himself bigger on defense. He uses his body well in order to block out and get rebounds. When rebounding the ball, he is strong with the ball by catching it chin up. Also, after he gets the ball, he keeps it high, so a guard can’t take it from him.
Elijah Buchanan has a nice follow through on his shot and rotation on the ball. He has good ball handling skills and decision-making. He likes to go downhill with the ball, which allows him to dribble with penetration. Elijah is very aggressive and knows what he wants to do with the ball.
Looking forward, Fordham will travel to Brooklyn as they will play in the NABC Brooklyn Classic and take on North Texas on Sunday morning. It will give Fordham an opportunity to bounce back from this horrible loss. NJIT will go to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.
This article was written by Sean Dolberry, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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