NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — Ari Fulton’s pull-up jumper from the foul line with three-tenths of a second remaining lifted NJIT to a 60-58 victory over Maine in an America East Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Highlanders, who squandered a late four-point lead, inbounded the ball under their own basket with 4.8 seconds left. David Bolden drove the length of the court, drew the defense and kicked to a trailing Fulton on the right wing. Fulton took one dribble into the key and rose up, sinking the game-winner over the outstretched arm of Maine’s Keelan Steele.

The dramatic finish capped a tense, defensive struggle where neither team led by more than six points. The contest featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes, with the final one coming on Fulton’s clutch shot.

NJIT improved to 16-16 overall and reached the .500 mark for the first time since early December. Maine, which had won the previous meeting between the teams in January, fell to 8-23.

The game’s most crucial sequence unfolded in the final 30 seconds. Trailing 58-56, Maine’s Ace Flagg drove hard to the basket for a layup to tie the game with 11 seconds remaining. The Black Bears immediately called timeout to set their defense.

On the ensuing inbounds play, NJIT’s Sebastian Robinson, who led all scorers with 21 points, nearly lost the ball near midcourt but managed to save it to Bolden. Bolden’s decisive penetration and pass set up Fulton’s heroics. Fulton finished with 10 points.

The final play was a microcosm of a game defined by grit over grace. Both teams struggled offensively, combining to shoot just 5 of 33 from three-point range. The Highlanders finished with an offensive rating of 89.3 points per 100 possessions, while the Black Bears managed just 87.2. Turnovers were plentiful, with NJIT committing 16 and Maine giving it away 13 times, leading to a combined 17 steals.

Maine’s Steele, a 6-foot-10 center from Canada, provided a consistent interior presence, scoring 11 points. Flagg, a freshman from Newport, Maine, added 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Logan Carey contributed eight points, four assists and three steals for the Black Bears.

For NJIT, Bolden complemented his late-game playmaking with 12 points and four assists. Quentin Duncan provided a key spark off the bench with nine points, all from beyond the arc in the first half.

The first half was a slog, with NJIT taking a 32-29 lead into the break. The Highlanders built their largest lead at 49-43 with 8:45 remaining after a Robinson jumper. Maine responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a Steele dunk off a Carey assist, to retake the lead at 50-49.

The teams traded blows down the stretch. A Bolden three-pointer put NJIT up 54-51 with 2:39 left, but Carey answered with two free throws. After an Ari Fulton dunk made it 56-53, Steele scored inside to cut the deficit to one. Following an empty NJIT possession, Flagg’s driving layup set the stage for the frantic finish.

The announced attendance was 1,297. The game was a rematch of a Feb. 14 contest in Orono, which NJIT won 67-58. The teams split the season series.

NJIT entered the game as a 3.5-point favorite according to sportsbooks, and the total score of 118 points fell well under the pregame over/under line of 131.5. National statistical models gave the Highlanders a 68.5% probability of winning.

Maine concludes a difficult season that saw them lose 10 of their final 11 games. NJIT, hovering around the middle of the America East standings, will look to build momentum heading into the conference tournament.