NJIT will visit another powerful team from the BIG EAST Conference, Seton Hall, on Friday at 7pm in Walsh Gymnasium.
Seton Hall, which is 2-0 in the all-time series against NJIT, won 74-48 last December 21 in South Orange, as the Pirates exploded for 49 first-half points, one more the Highlanders would get for the full game.
NJIT is in a stretch of five games on its schedule that has the Highlanders playing away from Newark (December 14 through January 2). NJIT will have a quick turnaround after visiting the Pirates, when the Highlanders travel to Easton, PA, and tip off against Lafayette (5-3 overall, 3-0 at home) on December 21 before Christmas Break. NJIT will then travel to South Carolina and visit Clemson on December 29 (new time scheduled for 1pm) and then begin the New Year at Wofford, also in South Carolina, on January 2. The team's next scheduled game at home in Newark will be on January 4 when the Highlanders host Chicago State at 2pm.
The Pirates come into Friday's game with a 10-1 record, under the direction of second-year head coach
Anthony Bozzella, who guided the Pirates to one of the most successful campaigns in program history in just his first year at the helm.
Last season, Bozzella led the Pirates to a 20-14 overall record and a berth to the WNIT. The postseason appearance was just the sixth in program history and the first since 2007. Additionally, Seton Hall reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in 19 years.
Seton Hall extended its win streak to nine-straight games with a 79-47 victory over Fairfield on Thursday evening, for the Pirates 12
th straight victory in Walsh Gymnasium.
The Pirates received 13 votes in the latest USA Today/Coaches Top-25 Poll (as of December 15), garnering recognition for the fourth week in a row.
Seton Hall was selected as one of 16 teams to compete in the Preseason WNIT. The Pirates picked up wins over Rider and Penn State and dropped a close 89-87 decision at No. 17 West Virginia, the lone loss of the Pirates schedule.
Point guard
Ka-Deidre Simmons and junior
Tabatha Richardson-Smith both earned 2014-15 Preseason BIG EAST honors. Simmons earned first-team BIG EAST accolades while Richardson-Smith was named to the second-team last season. Seton Hall was picked to finish fifth in the 2014-15 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Pirates finished seventh last season with an 8-10 conference record.
Graduate transfer
Daisha Simmons, who is enrolled in the Sports Management MBA program at Seton Hall Stillman School of Business, will use her final year of eligibility as a Pirate, after spending the last three seasons at the University of Alabama, where she averaged 13.6ppg and 4.3apg.
Seton Hall has four players averaging double-figures led by Richardson-Smith at 18.4ppg followed by Ka-Deidre Simmons (16.5ppg), Daisha Simmons (16.4ppg) and
Bra'Shey Ali (10.2ppg). Redshirt junior Ali tops the Pirates in rebounds (9.1rpg) and blocks (16).
NJIT, on a three-game skid, enters the contest with a 5-7 record. The Highlanders are coming off a 66-42 defeat at St. John's on December 14.
The Highlanders have three players averaging double-figure scoring—forward
Leah Horton (10.7ppg) and guards
Alyssa Albanese (10.3ppg) and
Alana Dudley (10.1ppg). Horton, standing 6-foot-1, tops the team with 7.7rpg, Albanese ranks first with 49 assists and 15 steals while Dudley paces the Highlanders with 14 3-point field goals made.
Michael Ventola will have the live streaming audio play by play call on
www.njithighlanders.com .
