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BROOKLYN, NY-- NJIT heads to Brooklyn for a late afternoon game at LIU Brooklyn, the fourth game in the last five seasons against the Blackbirds (did not meet in 2012-13).
 
LIU, which is 3-0 in the series in NJIT's Division I era, won a high-scoring affair last December 12 in Newark, 96-93. It was the highest point total NJIT scored vs a DI opponent last season and also the most the Highlanders allowed in a game.
 
NJIT is in the heart of a 10-game stretch on its schedule that has the Highlanders playing away in 9 of the 10 games from November 24 through December 28.
 
The only home game in the current stretch took place last Tuesday night (December 9) and NJIT survived a tough contest against LIU Brooklyn's biggest rival, St. Francis Brooklyn, 68-66.
 
Having just played Friday night in Worcester, MA, the Highlanders will visit Central Connecticut, Villanova (#7 in both national polls), and Lafayette before hosting another NEC squad, Saint Francis U on December 30.
 
The Blackbirds come into Sunday's game with a 1-6 record under 3rd-year head coach Jack Perri, as they rebuild with an eye toward returning to the very-high level they held for three consecutive recent seasons.
 
LIU Brooklyn won back-to-back Northeast Conference titles in 2010-11 (27-6 record) and 2011-12 (25-9 record) under former coach Jim Ferry.  Perri, Ferry's top assistant in the championship run, took the helm in 2012-13 and went 20-14 with a second-place NEC finish that season. Last season, with some big graduation losses, the team slipped to 9-20 (4-12 in the NEC regular season). One of the 5 non-conference wins for the Blackbirds was the 99-96 triumph in Newark against NJIT.
 
The all-time series between the schools stands at 3-0 in favor of LIU Brooklyn since NJIT began Division I competition in 2006-07.
 
The overall series actually dates back all the way to 1928-29, when NJIT's forerunner school, Newark College of Engineering, lost twice to the Blackbirds that season and then another game in 1931-32. There are also three games in the NJIT all-time scores show the Highlanders with wins against "Long Island" in 1960-61, 1961-62, and 1962-63 (NJIT was still known as NCE in those years). The LIU-Brooklyn records don't show games vs. NCE in those seasons.
 
To the present, the Blackbirds got into the win column in their most recent game, an 83-70 win at Maine. They had lost their first six. LIU and NJIT have two common opponents—St. John's (beat NJIT, 77-58, and beat LIU Brooklyn, 66-53) and Maine (lost at NJIT 90-86 and lost at home to LIU Brooklyn, 83-70).
 
Freshman guard Elvar Fridriksson, one of two rookies from Iceland on the Blackbirds roster, is the top scorer at 10.7 ppg. Five other players are averaging from 9.6 points down to 7.6 points. Coach Perri has used the same staring five in all 7 games and Fridriksson and four of the starters are included in the 9.6 ppg to 7.6 ppg group. Joel Hernandez, a sophomore, has not started, but he plays almost 23 minutes per game and averages 7.7 ppg.
 
Athletic 6-foot-6 senior forward Landon Atterberry is the top rebounder at 6.9 pg, followed by 6-7, 240 redshirt freshman Nura Zanna, a native of Nigeria, at 5.7 rpg.
 
The two assists leader for the Blackbirds are the two freshmen from Iceland, Fridriksson (33) and Martin Hermannsson (23). Fridriksson has just 12 total turnovers.
 
NJIT, which finally lost after taking its 72-70 upset win at #17/#16 Michigan last Saturday, followed by 68-66 win against St, Francis three days later in front of a standing room only home crowd, will aim to get back in the winning side in this visit to Brooklyn.
 
The Highlanders have three guards averaging double-figure scoring—Damon Lynn (18.6 ppg), Ky Howard (13.1 ppg), and Winfield Willis (10 ppg).
 
Lynn has already made 43 3-point field goals in 10 games. His 43 triples lead the nation and his 4.3 per game is the second-best rate nationally.
 
Howard, coming off a career-best 23 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and 8-11 at the foul line, leads NJIT in rebounding average with 6.4 rpg. He leads the Highlanders with 37 assists, followed closely by Lynn's 33. The sophomore Lynn also leads in steals, with 16.
 
Matt Provence will have the live streaming audio play by play call on www.njithighlanders.com.