N.J.I.T. has been one of the most interesting storylines in all of college basketball this year. They captivated the nation with a win over the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor behind star guard Damon Lynn, and almost knocked off Marquette in Milwaukee. They played well against Villanova for a half as well. However, they are Division One's only independent school, they likely would have had to have went near undefeated to be able to make the NCAA Tournament.

Yale has also made some national noise too this year, shocking the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies and almost defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville. With the struggles of the Harvard Crimson this year, Yale has a legitamate chance at making the NCAA tournament, if they prevail in the Ivy League.

In this battle of giant killers, Yale held the upper hand throughout most of the first half. as they led a balanced offense that attacked the N.J.I.T defense by getting under the rim for easy layups. However, they were without their star forward Justin Sears for most of the game with a facial injury, hindering their offensive output at times. N.J.I.T had a great duo inside that got them back in the game, Tim Coleman and Daquan Holliday, with 22 and 12 points each, respectively. However, with a Greg Kelley 3-pointer with under a minute to go, Yale led at halftime, 38-33.

But never count out the Highlanders. Damon Lynn hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the first half, one in which he and Tim Coleman really took over. N.J.I.T. used plays for the duo often, but Lynn really showed his dominance by continuing to be hot from beyond the arc. Lynn had 23 points on the night, going 5-9 from the land of the trey.

Yale's Javier Duren, who led the Bulldogs with 21 points from the backcourt, tried to lead the team back, along with Yale's 6th man Makai Mason, a hot shooter with 17 points on 7-9 shooting. However, the Ivy League school could not make a bucket in the final minute, allowing the Highlanders to hold on for a big 78-71 win.

After the loss tonight, the Bulldogs are now 10-6 on the season, and were obviously hindered by the lack of Justin Sears for the majority of the game. Sears will hopefully be back before the start of Ivy League play for the Bulldogs, but will likely miss tomorrow's game at home against the non-division 1 Daniel Webster Eagles.

As for N.J.I.T., this proves again the fantastic state of their program. The rest of their schedule is not hard at all, giving the Highlanders the chance to go 20-9 this season. That will still not be enough to get them in the tournament, but you have to hand it to the team for doing this well without a conference, being the only Independent in D1. Jim Engles is a fantastic coach, but the Highlanders have to get in a conference to actually become a dynamic mid-major. The MAAC, NEC, and America East are potential conferences for the school. But, for now, N.J.I.T. will focus on the St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) Bears on Wednesday at home in Newark.

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About the author
Ben Anderson
Hi, folks. I am Ben, a West Virginian, loud and proud. I've been the editor in chief of VAVEL USA since December of 2013, and continue to work hard and make the International Sports Newspaper the best on the internet.