Basketball Spotlight: Devils Defeat Highlanders for First CACC Win of Season Saturday, January 7, 2006 By Bob Heller USIP Sports Information Director Bill Kurtz had 18 points and Collin Harrington recorded a double-double as the University of the Sciences men's basketball team won their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game of the 05-06 season, defeating the Highlanders from New Jersey Institute of Technology, 69-56 at the Bobby Morgan Arena this afternoon. The win improved the Devils record to 3-8 overall and 1-5 in CACC games. NJIT fell to 4-7 overall, 1-5 in CACC games. Kurtz (Jr., Shawnee HS/Shamong, NJ) connected on 5 of 11 shots from the field and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Harrington (Jr., Bishop Eustace HS/Sewell, NJ) added 12 points and 11 rebounds while Eric Cangelosi (Jr., Camden Catholic HS/Haddon Heights, NJ) had 11 points. Howard Lanier (So., St. Augustine Prep/ Sicklerville, NJ) chipped in nine points, all from the free throw line while Keith Dundas (So., Pennsbury HS/ Morrisville, PA) had eight points and eight boards. Michael Mullane (Jr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) came off the bench to score nine points. USP took command of the game early, leading for all but 26 seconds in the first half. The Devils used a 17-2 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 14 point lead midway through the period. The Highlanders whittled away at the lead as the period went on, going on a 10-3 run of their own to pull within seven, 22-15 with four minutes remaining. USP held steady and took an eight point lead into the lockerroom at the break, 27-19, despite connecting on only 7 of 27 shots from the field (25.9%). The Devils outscored the Highlanders on the charity stripe in the period, connecting on 11 of 15 to NJIT's six of seven. NJIT made just six of 17 shots from the field (35.3%). The Devils and the Highlanders shot better in the second half with both teams shooting over 50%. USP made 13 of 23 shots (56.5) to NJIT's 13 of 25 (52%). The Devils used a 13-0 run over a four minute stretch early in the period to boost their lead to 20, 44-24 with 12:20 left. USP connected on six of nine shots from the field during the run, two of which came off of USP misses and subsequent offensive rebounds. Five different players had baskets for the Devils during this stretch with Dundas scoring the first two baskets followed by a bucket by Cangelosi, a three-point play by Mullane, and baskets by Kurtz and Shane Connor (Fr., Pocono Mountain East HS/Canadensis, PA). USP cooled down a little bit after the run, as NJIT outscored the Devils 8-2 over the next 2:20 to pull within 14, 46-32 at the midway point of the period. NJIT got as close as 10, 57-47 at the 4:31 mark but was unable to cut the lead to single digits as the Devils made nine of 12 free throws over the final 4:06 to seal the win with Lanier recording a perfect 6-for-6 from the line during the final stretch. The Devils held a big advantage from the charity stripe, making 25 of 33 shots (75.8%) to NJIT's 14-for-19 (73.7%). For the game, the Devils shot 40% (20-50) while NJIT was a bit better, making 45.2%(19-42). USP also held a slight advantage on the boards 33-28 and committed just 12 turnovers to NJIT's 20. The Devils are off until Thursday when the take on Bloomfield College at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tip off is slated for 8 p.m. This game will be webcast by Teamline Sports as the CACC Game of the Week. A link for the webcast has been placed on the USP Athletic Website.