CATONSVILLE, Md. (Interstat) — Ace Valentine scored 19 points to lead a balanced Maryland-Baltimore County offense in an 87-74 victory over NJIT in a men’s America East Conference game Thursday night at Retriever Activities Center.

The Retrievers built a 47-28 halftime lead and held off a second-half push from the Highlanders. Sebastian Robinson and Melvyn Ebonkoli each scored 17 points for NJIT. Jah’Likai King added 17 points for UMBC, which had five players score in double figures.

UMBC improved to 11-7 overall. NJIT dropped to 9-12. The combined score of 161 points significantly surpassed the over/under line of 141.5.