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With the start of Great West Conference play around the corner (Jan. 12 vs. Texas-Pan American), NJIT has this Saturday afternoon pre-conference home game vs. Marywood.
The Highlanders, who are looking for more consistency in nearly all parts of their game, have shown some encouraging signs in their previous two home games.
Both games were losses (89-82 vs. LIU on Dec. 28; and 92-83 vs. Lehigh on Jan. 4), but the opponents were both good teams (LIU is now 10-4 and the win over NJIT is part of a 5-1 stretch; Lehigh, the defending Patriot League champs have won 5 of the last 6) and the games were highly competitive.
On the plus side, the 82 vs. LIU and 83 vs. Lehigh represent the highest scoring totals this season for NJIT against Division I opponents. On the flip side, LIU's 89 points and Lehigh's 92 are the most the Highlanders have allowed. Those totals are too high for a program that works hard on its defense.
As with most teams, NJIT needs to get quality production from its top players and the Highlanders can take encouragement from the fact that the Lehigh game marked the first time this year that their three preseason all-Great West picks all reached double-figure scoring in the same game. Jheryl Wilson scored 22 points, Isaiah Wilkerson scored 19, and Chris Flores scored 17. All three shot for good percentages, with Wilson connecting on 9 of 14 tries and the other two shooting just under 50 percent each.
All three averaged double-figure scoring a year ago and all three are now averaging double-figures this season, led by Wilson (12 ppg). Wilkerson, who had his second double-double of the season against Lehigh, is scoring 11.2 ppg and leading NJIT with 5.6 rebounds per game. Flores is up to 10.4 ppg. Wilson, the team's only senior, is averaging 4.8 rebounds and his 36 assists pace the Highlanders (Flores has 30 assists).
Marywood, a first-time NJIT opponent from Scranton, PA, comes in with a 5-3 record. The Pacers, the third non-Division I opponent for the Highlanders this season, ended the Fall Semester at 5-2 and returned from a semester break hiatus on January 5, losing a game at Wilkes.
Veteran head coach Eric Grundman gets leadership out of the guard spot from senior captain Tyler Reinhard, who leads Marywood with 11.3 points per game. The Highlands, NJ, product is one of two Pacers with an outstanding three-point shooting percentage. He has connected on 25-of-50 three-point tries. Junior forward Brent Keyes is another deep threat, having made 14-of-33 threes (.424). The 6-foot-6 Keyes averages 10.3 ppg. Senior center Matthew Medici gives the Pacers a third double-digit scorer (10.2 ppg). Medici is second on the team in rebounding average (6.5 rpg), behind classmate Lenny Martin (8.3 rpg).
Fans unable to make the game can follow all the action live on www.njithighlanders.com, which will carry a webcast play-by-play and commentary from Matt Provence, as well as an in-game real-time stat feed.
