Senior guard A.J. Lopez scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the second half as the University of Maine earned a 57-44 America East victory at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in Newark, New Jersey, Thursday.
UMaine improved to 11-8 overall and 3-1 in the conference while the Highlanders fell to 3-15 and 0-3, respectively.
The Black Bears extended their winning streak to three games while NJIT has now lost three straight.
The Black Bears trailed 26-23 at the half and junior forward Killian Gribben kicked off the 10-0 second-half run with a dunk off a steal and pass by graduate student guard Tynes.
Tynes tied it with a foul shot and junior guard Jaden Clayton gave UMaine the lead for good with a short jumper in the paint.
Lopez followed with a 3-pointer off a Tynes feed and Lopez capped the flurry with a dunk off a Tynes pass following a Quion Burns steal.
The Highlanders cut the lead to 35-31 but Lopez nailed a three off a Tynes pass and Tynes fed Clayton for a fast break layup after grabbing a defensive rebound.
The Highlanders couldn’t get any closer the rest of the way.
Lopez has now scored in double figures 15 times this season, including four in a row and five times in his last six.
Tynes finished with 12 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals. Tynes has had at least four steals in his last four games and he has nine with four or more on the season.
He moved into first place in Division I in steals with 65, although the University of California-San Diego’s Hayden Gray had 63 entering a Thursday night game against Long Beach State.
He has averaged seven assists over his last three games.
Clayton finished with eight points and six rebounds along with three assists.
Senior guard Burns had seven points and four rebounds and Gribben contributed six points and eight rebounds along with two blocked shots.
Sebastian Robinson’s 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals paced NJIT. Tariq Francis had 11 points, five rebounds and two steals and Tim Moore Jr. chipped in with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
UMaine shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while NJIT shot 33.3 and 20 percent, respectively.
UMaine will travel to the University of Maryland Baltimore County for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday while NJIT will host New Hampshire at 3.
