NJIT didn’t hope to beat Michigan
NJIT 72, NO. 17 MICHIGAN 70
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Not even NJIT’s coach expected his team to win at Michigan. Just ask him.
“Honestly, this wasn’t in my game plan,” Jim Engles said. “Coming into the season, I sort of penciled this one in as an ‘L.’ I have to readjust my whole process here, as to, ‘ We just beat Michigan. I don’t know, maybe we should be in the Top 25.’
“I don’t really know what to say.”
How about this: The team that played for the national title less than two years ago just lost to a commuter school whose “arena” doubles as a campus fitness center.
Damon Lynn made a critical three-pointer with less than three minutes to go and finished with 20 points to help the New Jersey Institute of Technology stun the 17th-ranked Wolverines 72-70 Saturday.
Caris LeVert scored 32 points for Michigan but the Wolverines (6-2) as a team only shot 42 percent from the field.
NJIT held the Wolverines’ comeback efforts at bay, sealing the victory when Daquan Holiday corralled the ball with 4.3 seconds remaining and made two free throws.
The Highlanders (3-5) made 11 of 17 three-pointers and got 17 points each from Willis Winfield and Ky Howard.
Derrick Walton added 16 points for Michigan. He was the only other Wolverines player in double digits.
The two teams traded buckets down the stretch, until Lynn’s three gave the Highlanders a four-point lead they held onto down the stretch. LeVert’s last-second prayer missed wide — and the Highlanders’ bench poured onto the court in celebration in front of shocked fans.
In other games involving men’s Top 25 teams Saturday, Josh Gasser scored 12 points on 4 three-pointers, 7-footer Frank Kaminsky added 15 points and 10 rebounds and No. 2 Wisconsin (81) managed a 49-38 victory over Marquette (4-4). ... T.J. McConnell scored six of his 12 points in overtime and No. 3 Arizona (8-0) held on for a 66-63 overtime victory over No. 9 Gonzaga (71) after Byron Wesley air-balled the first of three missed free throws with 3.3 seconds left. ... Justin Anderson scored 21 points, including a late three-pointer in the middle of a clutch 15-0 run, and No. 7 Virginia (9-0) ended VCU’s 22-game home winning streak with a 74-57 victory over the Rams (5-3). ... Ron Baker scored 18 points, while Evan Wessel and Rauno Nurger added 15 each to lead No. 8 Wichita State (51) to an 81-52 victory over Saint Louis (5-3). ... Josh Hart scored 12 points and Phil Booth and Darrun Hilliard each had 11 to lead No. 10 Villanova (8-0) to a 74-46 victory over Saint Joseph’s. ... D’Angelo Russell scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half and Marc Loving added 17 points to lead No. 14 Ohio State (6-1) to a victory over Colgate. ... Junior Carrington Love scored a career-high 20 points and Green Bay (6-2) deployed an effective zone defense in the second half to hand No. 15-ranked Miami (8-1) their first defeat, 68-55 in Coral Gables, Fla. ... Jake Layman scored 21 points, freshman Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack had 16 apiece and No. 21 Maryland (8-1) pulled away to a victory over Winthrop (3-4). ... Kellen Dunham scored 19 points to lead No. 23 Butler past Northwestern 65-56. ... Malcolm Hill scored 13 points as No. 24 Illinois (7-1) defeated American (5-4) 70-55.