With the score tied 58-58 in the final seconds of the America East quarterfinal game against the University of Maine, Ari Fulton sank a mid-range jumper to send the Highlanders into new territory: their first appearance in the semifinals since joining the conference in 2020.

The sophomore guard’s remarkable shot was among dozens of marquee performances in a season of firsts for the team, which rebounded from 3-13 finishes in the conference the previous two seasons to post a 10-6 mark this year – the most conference wins in program history. Guard David Bolden won America East Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-Rookie Team.

NJIT basketball player shooting the ball“We have a group of guys who don’t care what happened before them. They play extremely hard, by which I mean going 110 mph every time they go out there,” explained Coach Grant Billmeier. He cited a game against Fordham University, an Atlantic 10 team, as evidence. NJIT beat the Rams 72-61.

“We were down two of our best players and we still made it look easy,” he said. “I had no idea what to expect from these guys, some of them in their first college game. What I saw was them saying, ‘We’re here and we’re not backing down.’”

Forward Melvyn Ebonkoli pointed to a game against University of Maryland, Baltimore County he feels exemplifies the team’s resilience. “We lost and it hit everybody. But we bounced back the next day at practice and won the next six in a row.”

“We have a different chemistry this year with great camaraderie off the court as well,” said forward Jordan Rogers. 

While the team lost to the University of Vermont in the semifinals, Billmeier is looking ahead. “We had a tremendous year, but we want to keep building.” 

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