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NEWARK, NJ—The NJIT men's basketball program will celebrate the brightest achievement of its recent past before Saturday's 2 pm game against Lafayette in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher. Moments later, the Highlanders will focus on the challenge at hand, as they look to build on their recent 3-0 road trip, as they take on Lafayette in the 2013-14 home opener.
The celebration will be a pregame recognition of the 2012-13 season that saw NJIT capture its first Division I men's basketball title, the regular season championship of the Great West Conference. That was part of a 16-win season, the best for NJIT in 7 years of Division I competition. Players and coaches from last year's team will be on the floor when the banner noting the GWC championship is unveiled on the wall behind the NJIT team bench.
After the national anthem and introduction of the Lafayette and NJIT starters, the two teams will go at it when the Highlanders host the first of 13 home contests between November and late February.
NJIT, playing selfless, exciting basketball in its 3-2 start, is making more than half its shots from the floor, including 46 percent on 3-points, plus a better than 70 percent accuracy at the foul line.
Freshman
Damon Lynn (19.8 points per game) leads the way in scoring and sophomore
Terrence Smith averages 14.2 ppg, having twice reached a new career scoring high with 19 points at UAlbany and 19 at New Hampshire. Four others are averaging at least 7 points and 7 of the 9 players who have seen game action have hit at least one 3-pointer, topped by Lynn's 18-for-41 (.439) from distance.
Lafayette will come to Newark as a group hungry for a win. The Leopards opened with a road loss at Villanova and a home loss to Robert Morris before dropping an 81-80 overtime defeat at Princeton on Wednesday night.
Fran O'Hanlon in his 19th season at the Lafayette helm is known for teams that execute a precise offense than features excellent ball movement, complemented by strong outside shooting. This year is no exception, with Seth Hinrichs (19.3 ppg, 6 rpg), Joey Ptasinski (13 ppg), and Bryce Scott (16 ppg) combining to make 23-of-48 triples through the opening three games.
Lafayette leads the all-time series, 5-1, including a lopsided 83-66 on January 2, 2013 last season in Easton, PA. The Leopards shot 13-for-26 on 3s in that game, as Hinrichs (21 points) made 5-of-6 tries from downtown.
That win was a virtual reversal of NJIT's only win in the series, a 78-58 victory in Newark on January 2, 2012. In that one, the Highlanders connected on a sizzling 13-for-22 (59.1 pct) from outside the arc.
Chris Flores was 5-6 on triples and Arjun Ohri came off the NJIT to drill 5-of-7 threes. Lafayette was an uncharacteristic 6-for-30 on 3s in the defeat.
Michael Ventola will sit in on the play-by-play for NJITHighlanders.com with all the action live.
