The NJIT Highlanders Men’s Basketball Team (1-2) not only won its first game of the season but also captured the 2026-27 home opener at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness Events Center in Newark, New Jersey, in dramatic fashion, defeating the Saint Peter’s Peacocks(0-3) 54-52 in the America East-Metro Challenge on a phenomenal half-court buzzer-beater off the glass by Brandon Stores Jr.

After Saint Peter’s missed a free throw, Matheo Coffi tipped the ball, and Stores Jr. grabbed it and feverishly dribbled up the court as time wound down. He skied high into the air and unleashed a majestic shot that banked off the glass and into the basket, setting off jubilant celebrations with teammates and coaches on the court and pandemonium in the stands.

 Brandon Stores Jr., NJIT’s leading scorer with 15 points on the phenomenal game-winning shot, said, “Man, it was crazy. The player missed the free throw, and I know we didn’t have any more ad timeouts. I had to push the ball, see how close I could get to the basket, and shoot it, and it went in.”


“They(Saint Peter’s) definitely got it going and hit a lot of shots late and got rebounds, and we hit our adversity. One thing is, we stuck together, one play at a time, no matter what. The whole time, we thought we could still win the game no matter what the score was and had a chance to win, and I remember our point guard, DB(David Bolden), telling me we were only down one and we still got a chance to win this game, and he was right.”

 “We really needed this win, and even though it wasn’t perfect, we’re a young team and have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores and are learning just how to win the game and getting a win like this can go a long way in the season. We know how to play and grind it out down the stretch, and just a big win.”

 “Our home base is really good, and the crowd was into it today, and it was just good to get a win for them, and the first of many home wins, and I’m excited and only game three for us. We can get so much better, and that’s the scary part about our team, and we’re so young and getting a win against a tough team like Saint Peter’s goes a long way for the rest of the season.”

After a low-scoring first half in which the Highlanders led 25-18 and point guard David Bolden tallied eight points, Matheo Coffi canned back-to-back trifectas to push the NJIT advantage to 33-21. Coffi added another highlight-reel play with an emphatic baseline dunk on an alley-oop from Brandon Stores Jr.

 “DB(David Bolden) is our leader and was rookie of the year last year and pre-season first team. We’re going as far as he goes, and he keeps uplifting everybody and making it comfortable for the new guys,” Brandon Stores Jr. noted. 

 “Me and Matheo played well tonight, and we’re still getting used to each other. We’re a young team, none of us are upperclassmen, and we’re still learning.”

 However, the Peacocks trimmed the deficit to four points behind the stellar play of Bryce Eaton, who reached double figures with 10 at the 11-minute mark.

 The Highlanders clung to the lead, but Saint Peter’s kept charging ahead behind prolific shooting from behind the arc, knocking down seven three-pointers and jumped out in front 47-46 on a triple from Trey Patterson with less than four minutes remaining. The Peacocks fired on all cylinders, with Ken Walker draining another three to push the lead to 50-46. 

NJIT responded to the Saint Peter’s surge by hitting three of four free throws to cut the deficit to 52-51 with less than a minute left, setting the stage for the heroics by Brandon Stores Jr.

The Highlanders face a rigorous road test over the next five games at Rutgers, VCU, Fairfield, Flu and Boston College before returning home on Wednesday, November 25th, to host Manhattan, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m.

 “The road is going to test us, and it is not easy to win in college basketball,” Brandon Stores Jr. explained. “Our schedule is tough, and it’s going to build us for the end of the season. We’re trying to get through our bumps and bruises now, and hopefully we can get a couple of wins and build on this game right here.”

 “I came here for a reason: to get this team to the NCAA Tournament. That’s what we’re building toward, and I’m grateful to put this jersey on.”

 “Coach Grant(Billmeier) has been nothing but honest with me and holds me accountable. He knows what my goals are and what I want to accomplish here, and he holds me to that high standard, and I appreciate him for that, and he’s going to continue to push me and coach me hard, and this is just one game.”

 Coach Stores(RaShawn) continues to coach me hard and stay on me, and he made sure to say we won tonight, but nobody was perfect, including me. There are a lot of things to go back and watch on film and get better for the next game.