FREE Live Video/Audio    Live Stats
 
The NJIT women's basketball team will host Chicago State on Saturday, March 2 at 2pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center in the home finale of the 2012-13 season.  Saturday will be Senior Day for four graduating seniors.
 
NJIT, 12-15 overall, 4-2 in the Great West and 9-4 on Fleisher Family Court, is coming off a 77-48 home victory over Houston Baptist on February 16. 
 
The Highlanders, who have registered 12 wins, are one win away from the NJIT Division I school record (13), accomplished last season when NJIT went 13-17.
 
NJIT has reached double-figure wins in four out of seven seasons since competing against a Division I schedule (first season 06-07) -- 10 (07-08), 11 (09-10), 13 (11-12) and 12 (12-13).
 
The Highlanders received one first-place vote in the Preseason Great West Conference women's basketball poll, totaling 19 points for second place, finishing behind Great West Conference favorite Utah Valley. 
 
Currently the Highlanders stand in second place in the conference behind Utah Valley, which holds a 6-1 record in the league, with one conference game remaining on the schedule against Houston Baptist on March 2.
 
NJIT will have one game remaining in conference play after hosting Chicago State when the Highlanders travel to Houston Baptist on March 8 in the regular season finale. 
 
In the last meeting in Chicago, sophomore Jasmine Collins scored a pair of free throws with two minutes remaining in the contest to break a 56-56 tie as Chicago State nipped visiting NJIT, 58-57.  The win snapped a 15-game losing streak for the Cougars..
 
The Preseason GWC first-team honoree Rayven Johnson is averaging a double-double with 16ppg and 10.4rpg (ranks 19th in the nation).  The senior has posted 13 double-doubles on the season and 24 for her career while registering double-figure scoring in 22 out of 27 games this season. 
 
Johnson has combined for 1,186 career points (second highest scoring total in NJIT's D1 era) and 789 rebounds (the highest in the D1 era, second all-time).
 
NJIT's second-leading scorer is junior Uju Nwankwo, the Highlanders athletic forward and a Preseason Great West Conference second-team honoree. 
 
Nwawnko is averaging 7.0ppg and second with 7.3rpg.  Nwawnko has at least one block or one steal in 25 out of 27 games.  Nwanwko leads the GWC in blocked shots with 51 (ranks 38th in the nation with 1.9bpg) and sixth in the conference in rebounding.
 
Sophomore Sarah Olson ranks third on the team with 6.4ppg.  Olson ranks second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (43-117 - .368) and third in three-pointers made (43).
 
Point guard Alyssa Albanese leads the Highlanders with 69 assists (ranking sixth in the conference, 2.6apg).  Albanese scored her 100th career point last Saturday against Houston Baptist
 
Chicago State Notes
Chicago State (4-22 overall, 2-3 in the Great West) comes into Saturday's contest on a four-game skid after dropping a 63-55 decision to Great West favorite Utah Valley on Feb. 23.
 
The Cougars, 0-13 on the road this season, are led by Tierra Williams, who is averaging 9.0ppg.  Tierra has played in every game this season (28), with eight starts.
 
Paris Williams, no relation to Tierra, ranks second on the team with 8.5ppg and 4.4rpg while shooting a team-best 80 percent from the free throw line.  She has scored in double-digits in eight of the last 10 games.
 
Layne Murphy is the Cougars leading rebounder (5.5rpg) and shot blocker (33).
 
Jackie Jones leads the Great West Conference in assists (4.1) per game and second in steals (2.3) per game.
 
After the Chicago State visits NJIT on Saturday, the Cougars have two games remaning on their schedule (at HBU 3/7 and at UTPA 3/9) before hosting the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament.
 
Chicago State has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars will join the WAC for the 2013-14 season.
 
Fans can follow all the action live on www.njithighlanders.com, which will carry a live video stream and webcast play-by-play and commentary from Michael Ventola, as well as an in-game real-time stat feed. Coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. with tip-off set for 2 p.m