NEWARK– Rafael Pizon  poured in 29 points and Earl Timberlake logged his 9th double-double of the year as the Bryant Bulldogs raced past the NJIT Highlanders on Saturday in Newark.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 14-9 overall and 8-0 in the America East. The Bulldogs earn wins over all of their conference opponents at the halfway point in the season. Bryant returns to the court on Thursday night (Feb. 6) when they host UAlbany at the Chace Athletic Center.
 
Bryant and NJIT would start off in a tight battle before the Bulldogs pulled ahead at the end of the second half. Bryant came alive thanks to key buckets from Timberlake, Pinzon, and Withers. With under a minute to go in the first half. Earl Timberlake would find Keyshawn Mitchell on a lob attempt and give the Black and Gold a 41-27 lead at the break. Bryant continued to surge coming out of the break. They shined on both ends of the floor; going on a 23-5 run and held NJIT without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.
 
Pinzon led the Bulldogs with his 8th 20+ point game of the year. He also added five boards, and six assists. Pinzon hit a career high seven three pointers on Saturday.

Earl Timberlake (6-11) recorded his 9th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also had three assists and a block. Timberlake has 29 double-doubles in his career.
 
Game Information
Bryant 92, NJIT 70
Records: Bryant 14-9, 8-0 | NJIT 5-18, 2-6
Location: Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center (WEC) (Newark, N.J.)
Attendance: 452

Key Moments

• Bryant would go on a 23-5 run with 15:13 to play in the second half and held NJIT without a field goal for 8:45.

How it Happened

• Keyhawn Mitchell got the first points of the day for the Bulldogs driving through the lane and finishing with a layup at 17:03.
• Jakai Robinson got the starting nod for the second straight game and drilled Bryant's first three pointer of the day at 13:17.
• Rafael Pinzon netted 2-4 three pointers in the first nine minutes of play.
• NJIT kept things close with the Bulldogs starting play. Ari Fulton was true from three on 2-4 early attempts and was within one point at 9:55 in the half.
• Earl Timberlake helped push the Bulldogs to a two possession lead with buckets on back-to-back trips down the floor. He would score his second bucket in a row with 7:57 in the first.
• Pinzon cashed in on another three point try after finding space in the high corner with 6:24 to play.
• Connor Withers connected for his first three pointer of the game with 4:27 to go in the first after making a defender miss with a pump fake above the key.
• Timberlake continued to instill his will in the paint, driving for a layup with 2:35 to play.
• NJIT's Triston Wennersten launched a high arcing shot over Bryant's Keyshawn Mitchell  in the corner and connected on a three point attempt with just under two minutes to play in the half.
• Bryant would show off some high flying acrobatics to end the first half. 
• Rafael Pinzon came out on fire to start the second half, knocking down 2-3 threes in the first three minutes.
• Pinzon found nylon for the third time in the second half following a dish from a driving Timberlake at 15:51.
• Pinzon also was making plays down low, making a defender miss with his signature up-fake with 14:24 to play.
• Connor Withers blocked a three point attempt by NJIT's Tariq Francis. He then passed it to Pinzon who would go coast to coast before flipping the ball the Aaron Davis for a circus-like finish at the rim.
• The Black and Gold would put on a defensive masterclass, holding the Highlanders scoreless for over seven minutes. NJIT would finally break the scoreless streak with a Francis free throw at 7:46. 
• Earl Timberlake would throw down a monstrous dunk off a cross-court feed from Pinzon with 8:30 to play.
• Bryant would go on a 23-5 run with 15:13 to play in the second half and held NJIT without a field goal for 8:45.
• Kam Farris had five points off the bench late for the Black and Gold including pull-up three with 1:28 to play.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 29-of-64 (45.3 percent) from the field, 1-of-27 (40.7 percent) from three and 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) from the free throw line.
• Bryant held a 46-35 edge on the glass.
• The Bulldogs posted 18 assists, two steals and had six turnovers.
• Pinzon led all scorers on Saturday with 29 points on 9-16 shooting. He would knock down 7-11 three point tries and make 4-4 free throws. He also had five rebounds , and six assists.
• Earl Timberlake recorded his 9th double-double of the season, tallying 14 points, and 12 rebounds. He also had three assists, and a block.
• Aaron Davis posted his second straight double-figure scoring game, finishing with 12 points against the Highlanders.
• Connor Withers finished with 10 points on the day; making 2-5 FG's and going 5-6 from the line.
• Jakai Robinson picked up seven points and eight rebounds in his second straight start.
• Bryant had four players finish in double figures for the 5th time this season. They are 3-2 in those games.

Game Notes

• Bryant improves to 8-1 all-time against NJIT. They have won their last six matchups against the Highlanders and are undefeated against them since joining the America East.
• The Bulldogs improve to 7-6 on the road this season. The Bulldogs were 3-6 prior to conference play.
• The Black and Gold improved to 8-0; earning victories over all of their conference opponents through the first half of the season.
• Pinzon recorded his 8th 20 point game of the season and the 15th of his career.
• Pinzon finished in double figures for the 18th time this year and the 47th time in his career.
• Pinzon recorded a career high seven 3pFG against the Highlanders. His previous career high of six came against Maine on 3/9/24.
• Timberlake posted his 9th double-double of the year and the 29th of his career.
• Timberlake finishes in double-figures for the 19th time this season and the 72nd in his career.
• Timberlake recorded his 9th double-figure rebound game of the season and the 39th of his career.
• Withers finished in double figures for the 12th time this year and the 52nd time in his career. 
• Aaron Davis tallied his second straight double-figure scoring game of the season. Davis did not have over nine points prior to this stretch.

Up Next
Bryant returns home to Smithfield and will begin the second half of their conference slate when they take on UAlbany on Thursday, Feb. 6. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m.