NJIT will host another Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponent, Texas-Pan American, on Wednesday, with a special starting time of 11:30 am in the Fleisher Athletic Center, as NJIT women's basketball hosts its annual "Education Day".
The NJIT women's basketball team hosts its annual "Education Day" for young area students who will come in as guests to visit a college campus, some for the first time, and enjoy the game.
The NJIT men's team will entertain Maryland Eastern Shore later in the day with a traditional 7 pm starting time in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
Both NJIT basketball teams will enter play Wednesday having won their previous two games.
In addition to free admission for faculty and staff on Wednesday, NJIT students with valid ID, as always, will be admitted free of charge.
Texas-Pan American NotesTexas-Pan American, like NJIT, was part of the old Great West Conference. Both teams were in the Great West for the conference's existence from 2008-09 season through the 2012-13 season.
After 2012-13, the GWC ceased operations, with most of its members, including Texas-Pan American, departing to the Western Athletic Conference.
The Broncs, who will play their first game since December 21, 2014 at VCU, enter Wednesday's contest with an even 7-7 mark and have yet to win on the road (0-5) this season.
Texas-Pan American, playing its second season in the WAC, was selected second out of eight teams in the 2014-15 Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing the 2013-14 season with a 14-16 overall mark, 8-8 in WAC play.
Sophomore
Shawnte' Goff, a Preseason All-WAC first-team selection, is the only double-figure scorer for the Broncs this season, averaging 15.8ppg. Last season, Goff averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game while earning WAC Freshman of the Year and All-WAC Newcomer honors.
NJIT NotesNJIT, coming off back-to-back wins for the second time this season (defeated St. Francis Brooklyn on November 25 and then Florida Atlantic on November 28), aims for its third straight win. The last time the Highlanders won three straight was last season when NJIT defeated Rutgers-Newark on February 17, Incarnate Word on February 22 and then UMass Lowell on March 4.
The Highlanders opened the New Year with a win in South Carolina at Wofford on January 2 and followed up with a win on Fleisher Family Court vs. Chicago State on January 4.
NJIT has two players averaging double-figure points—senior
Alyssa Albanese (11.1 ppg) and sophomore
Leah Horton (10.4 ppg). Horton leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg). Albanese's 75 steals, 22 steals and 21 three-pointers made top the Highlanders, while
Nicole Maticka has a team-leading 32 blocked shots and is shooting 48 percent from the field (52-108).
The SeriesNJIT leads the all-time UTPA series, 12-5, including a win in the last meeting in the semifinal of the 2013 GWC Tournament.
Michael Ventola will handle play-by-play in conjunction with the live streaming video feed on www.njithighlanders.com.
