Game Notes (PDF)


HIGHLIGHTS:
•           NJIT will look to tie a Division-I program record by winning a third consecutive road game. During the 2010-11 season, the Highlanders won three straight – two in OT -- from Feb. 1-19 (at Fairleigh Dickinson, Houston Baptist and Texas-Pan Am). Recently, they've won at Utah Valley and FDU.
•          NJIT has tied a program best with four wins against a non-conference, Division- I opponents – New Hampshire (AEC), South Carolina State (MEAC), Army (Patriot) and FDU (NEC). A win over University of New Orleans will provide a program-record fifth.
•          Take out BIG EAST teams and Division III opponents and NJIT is 6-5 – with nine games determined by five or fewer points. They've won two games at the buzzer while losing four in the final moments, which includes the defeat at Providence and in their last loss versus Penn.
•          Entering the weekend, NJIT led the GWC in many key categories: scoring offense (69.1 ppg) and defense (64.2 ppg), FG percentage defense (.373), rebounding margin (+2.3) and blocked shots (5.7 bpg). In Division I rankings through Friday, Highlanders rank 14th in the nation in FG percentage defense, 15th in blocks per game and 17th in rebounding (40.7 rpg).
•           Tonight (Monday) marks the fourth anniversary of the first win in the head coaching career of NJIT's Jim Engles. On January 21, 2009, the Highlanders defeated Bryant, 61-51, earning national acclaim for snapping what had been a 51-game losing streak. Engles has since overseen growth that resulted in double-digit wins in each of the next three seasons. Two years after halting the infamous slide, the Highlanders won 15 games and repeated that feat in 2011-12. Their next win this season will make it four consecutive double-digit win seasons.

NEWARK, NJ – The Highlanders will hope to bounce back from a heart-wrenching loss when the program makes its first-ever foray into Louisiana to take on University of New Orleans on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (CST) at Lakefront Arena. The Privateers (4-11), just one of two Division-I independents this season, will be joining the Southland Conference beginning in 2013-14.

NJIT (9-9) most recently snapped a season-high tying, three-game winning streak with a 54-53 home loss to Penn (3-13) on Thursday. In the final seconds of the contest, senior G PJ Miller shook his defender on a drive into the lane but just couldn't connect on an extended finger roll as time expired. Had the shot fallen, the Highlanders would have both logged their first-ever victory over an Ivy League opponent and tied the second-longest winning streak in the program's Division-I era.

To quote baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra, “It's déjà vu all over again."

This most recent finish marked the fourth time this season that Miller just fell short on a desperation shot at the buzzer with a chance to tie or win the game.

But the Highlanders have been able to respond all three times.

After a 64-63 loss in the season-opener at Providence on Nov. 10, NJIT rebounded with a 76-43 blow-out of Eastern Nazarene in its next contest.

Following a missed three-pointer in a 77-74 loss at South Carolina State on Nov, 18, the Highlanders returned home to defeat New Hampshire – the program's first-ever win against an America East Conference opponent – and start a season-high, three-game winning streak.

After an 89-87 loss versus St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 30 – one in which Miller again got off a three-point attempt moments before the final buzzer – the Highlanders reeled off wins in three of their next four affairs.

In fact, take out the Highlanders' four road losses to BIG EAST programs this season, and four of their other five defeats have hung in the balance until the final buzzer. Along those same lines, discount their three games against Division-III opponents and five of the Highlanders' six wins have been nail-biters decided by five or fewer points.

Now, with a trip to face New Orleans, NJIT will hope that another tight loss will again lead to a string of wins. After starting 0-6 away from Fleisher Athletic Center this season, the Highlanders have won back-to-back contests on the road. It started with their first all-time win in seven tries against Utah Valley in Orem (57-52 on Jan. 5) and continued with a 66-63 victory at Fairleigh Dickinson in their prior road affair on Jan. 14.

Aside from their 83-66 loss at Lafayette, the loss to Penn on Thursday may have been the Highlanders' least impressive performance of the season. The team shot just 27.7 percent, was out-rebounded 41-24 and essentially trailed the entire game – yet still had a chance to win in the end.

The Highlanders' set a new program record by both recording 17 steals and forcing 26 turnovers against a D-I opponent – key factors that helped them claw back into the game late.

In fact, after trailing by 10 points with just 4:39 remaining, NJIT went on a 10-0 run to tie the game, 49-49, with 2:30 to go. But the Quakers never relinquished the lead and barely held on to snap their eight-game losing streak.

Senior G Chris Flores scored a game-high 22 points in the losing effort and tied his own program-record with six steals. The preseason GWC Player of the Year selection continues to pace the conference at 17.1 points per game. He also leads the circuit in steals (2.2 spg) and ranks sixth in assists (2.7 apg).

Senior F Ryan Woods, a preseason All-GWC Second-Team selection, stands third in the league in scoring (14.3 ppg). He tops the GWC in three-pointers made per game (3.1) and ranks second in three-point marksmanship (.417). In fact, the Staten Island native has drained 14-for-28 (.500) from deep over his last three games.

Miller, who set a program record with nine assists on Jan. 12, ranks second in the GWC in helpers (4.3 apg) and third in steals (1.8 spg).

With significant injuries in the frontcourt to both freshman F Terrence Smith (left foot) and junior F Quentin Bastian (left ankle) – both sidelined since mid-December – sophomore F Daquan Holiday has stepped up with major contributions.

Holiday, who set a program record with 17 rebounds on Jan. 12, has averaged 6.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg over his last 10 affairs.

According to the up-to-date 2013 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, NJIT has an RPI of 273 while UNO is at 336.


PRIVATE STOCK:

The Privateers are one of only two independent teams in the D-I ranks this season (Cal State Bakersfield). However, University of New Orleans should be very excited with the direction of the program.

After the Privateers seemed destined for a downgrade to first a Division-III classification -- then later to a move to Division-II competition, UNO president Peter Fos reached an agreement in August to become a member of the Southland Conference beginning in 2013-14. For the time being, it appears the storied athletics program (six NIT and four NCAA Tournament appearances) has been saved after struggling to stay afloat in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Now, the Privateers are hoping to stay afloat this season. After snapping a six-game losing streak with an 87-50 win over ACCA independent Champion Baptist last Saturday, UNO is in a span of three games in five days.

The Privateers, who are 4-3 at Lakefront Arena this season, are led in scoring by senior F Lovell Cook, who averages 14.7 ppg. The New Orleans native entered the weekend ranking 17^th in the nation with a .584 field-goal percentage.

Senior G Rarlensee Nelson averages a second-best 9.0 ppg while posting a team-leading 6.6 assists per game – an impressive figure that ranks the 5-8 point guard 13^th in the nation heading into Saturday.

Junior F Cory Dixon leads the team in rebounding (4.9 rpg) while standing third in scoring (8.1 ppg).

The Privateers rank 317^th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 74.1 ppg – but that after playing a difficult schedule that has featured road losses at No. 17 Butler (15-2), Mississippi State (7-8 in SEC), Boise State (13-3), Southern Illinois (8-9) and Duquesne (7-10 in Atlantic10).

UNO has registered 9.1 steals per game, which ranks 30^th in the nation.

With UNO's challenge of building a schedule as an independent, NJIT is one of seven programs the Privateers will play a home-and-home series with this season. Others include San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Nicholls State and Southern Illinois along with Great West members UTPA and Houston Baptist.


Write-up courtesy of Matt Provence