23 Jan, 2009
NJIT ends 51-game skid with win over Bryant
NEWARK, N.J. - New Jersey Institute of Technology went nearly two years without a win. No wonder junior center Dan Stonkus soaked up every moment Wednesday night.
NJIT ended the longest losing streak in Division I at 51 games, getting a career-high 26 points from Jheryl Wilson in a 61-51 victory over Bryant.
"It was obviously frustrating, but we honestly didn't think too much of the streak," said Stonkus, the only member of the program to endure all 51 losses. "We just kept trying to think about the next game and then the next one. It never came down to where we thought we'd never get one. This feels great."
The Highlanders (1-18) won for the first time since Feb. 19, 2007, when they defeated Longwood 78-74. It was NJIT's first home win since Feb. 8, 2007, against South Dakota State.
The school is in its third season as a Division I program, and the Highlanders are 6-71 since making the step up from Division II. They went winless last season after posting a 5-24 record in 2006-07.
NJIT officials said the 51-game drought was the longest for a team playing an NCAA Division I schedule. But because NJIT is in its final reclassifying year and will not be a full member of Division I until 2009-10, its skid does not eclipse Sacramento State's record of 34 consecutive losses from 1997-99.
The longest NCAA losing streak at any level - 117 games - is also held by a New Jersey school. Division III Rutgers-Camden did not win a game from Jan. 22, 1992, to Jan. 9, 1997.
The victory over Bryant (3-16) gave first-year coach Jim Engles, a former Columbia assistant, his first win as a head coach.
"It's a huge sense of relief," said Engles, who joked that a friend told him he was "the highest-paid coach in the country per win right now."
"I told the guys that they just had to keep working hard and good things would come. We deserve this. We deserve to win most of our games, because we work so hard every game. The kids never quit. I'm really happy for them," he said.
Get the full story at news.yahoo.com.
Photo courtesy of images.google.com.
Don't Give Up!
NJIT finally wins!!
Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about not giving up?
Do you ever get frustrated about how much you are growing as a follower of Christ? Does that frustration ever leave you tempted to give up? Well - Don't Give Up! Today's verse reminds us that growing as a Christian is a process, a life-long process! Don't let those frustrations win!
How can you connect today's God's Story Scripture to your life?
- Ask God to forgive you for the times you have felt frustrated or discouraged.
- Claim God's promise that he will bring the good work that he has started within you to completion.
- Spend some time reading Philippians (again) this weekend!
- Write down some of the ways that you need to become more like Jesus and ask God to help you as you grow in those areas.
How can you connect today's story, God's Story, and your story to the lives of others?
Do you know someone else who struggles with feelings of frustration about growing closer to Christ?
- Call them and offer a word of encouragement today.
- Remind them that growing closer to Christ is a life-long process.
- Remind them of God's promise to bring the good work in them to completion.
- Share with them the ways that you desire to be more like Jesus.
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