James leads Liberty past NJIT 57-51, claims share of title
NEWARK, N.J. -- Scottie James had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Liberty to a 57-51 win over NJIT on Friday night and claim a share of the Atlantic Sun title.
Liberty tied with Lipscomb atop the conference but the Flames (25-6, 14-2) will go into the conference tournament as the second seed.
Lovell Cabbil had 15 points for the Flames.
Abdul Lewis scored a season-high 25 points and had nine rebounds for the Highlanders (20-11, 8-8). Diandre Wilson added 10 points.
Zach Cooks, who led the Highlanders in scoring heading into the matchup with 17 points per game, had only five points on 2-of-12 shooting.
The Flames swept the Highlanders in the season series. Liberty defeated NJIT 77-57 on Feb. 2.
NJIT will be the fifth seed in the conference tournament.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
- Referees:
- Freddie Williams
- Archibald Whaley
- Art Vaulk
2023-24 Conference USA Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston | 13-3 | - | 21-12 |
| Louisiana Tech | 12-4 | 1 | 22-10 |
| Western Kentucky | 8-8 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Liberty | 7-9 | 6 | 18-14 |
| UTEP | 7-9 | 6 | 18-16 |
| Middle Tennessee | 7-9 | 6 | 14-19 |
| New Mexico State | 7-9 | 6 | 13-19 |
| Jacksonville State | 6-10 | 7 | 14-18 |
| Florida International | 5-11 | 8 | 11-22 |
2023-24 America East Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 15-1 | - | 28-7 |
| UMass Lowell | 11-5 | 4 | 22-10 |
| Bryant | 11-5 | 4 | 20-13 |
| New Hampshire | 7-9 | 8 | 16-15 |
| Binghamton | 7-9 | 8 | 15-15 |
| Maine | 7-9 | 8 | 15-17 |
| UMBC | 6-10 | 9 | 11-21 |
| UAlbany | 5-11 | 10 | 13-19 |
| NJIT | 3-13 | 12 | 7-21 |
Men's College Basketball News
