NJIT Men's Basketball Gameday Information
 

Game 4	Lafayette (1-1; 20-13 in 2014-15) at NJIT  (2-1; 21-12 in 2014-15)
Date/Time	Saturday, November 21, 2015/ 4 pm
Location/Arena	Newark, NJ/Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center (1,500)
Live Video	ESPN3, streaming telecast (WatchESPN app, www.WatchESPN.com)  Matt Provence (play-by-play); Dave Calloway (color)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
Social Media	@njithighlanders
All-Time Series	Lafayette leads, 6-2
Game Notes	NJIT game notes / Lafayette game notes

 
TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT NJITTIX.COM.

The game is being shown live worldwide exclusively on ESPN3 with Matt Provence on the play-by-play and former Monmouth head coach and star player Dave Calloway providing expert commentary.
 
For details on how to watch NJIT on ESPN3, go to the section at the bottom of this page.
 
NJIT's DEMANDING PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE CONTINUES
Beginning January 9, NJIT men's basketball will begin a new challenge when the Highlanders open their first season as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
 
Prior to the start of A-Sun play, Highlander coach Jim Engles has opted to test his team with the most demanding set of non-conference opponents in program history.
 
Already, NJIT has played #2 Kentucky, a team that is all but certain to contend for, if not win, the National Championship next March. Two days later, the Highlanders visited South Florida of the high-major American Athletic Conference and then NJIT opened at home against Boston University, a quality program two years removed from a 2013-14 season that included the Patriot League regular season championship and 24 wins overall.
 
Still to come, the Highlanders will face two teams from the powerful Big East Conference, as well four games against teams that won conference championships last season.
 
One of those champions, Patriot League winner Lafayette, visits Newark for a game Saturday at 4 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
A LOOK AT LAFAYETTE
The Leopards went 8-3 last season, including a 76-71 win over NJIT on December 28, 2014 in Easton, PA, before the start of the Patriot League schedule. They were 9-9 in the league regular season, but then swept to three wins in the PL tournament to earn a spot in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
 
Lafayette has been a regular opponent for NJIT ever since the Highlanders began Division I competition in the 2006-07 season. In fact, the two teams have met every year but one (2008-09) since. Lafayette leads the series 6-2, including last December's 76-71 victory. The Leopards are 4-0 in home games against the Highlanders and the teams are even at 2-2 in games played in Newark. NJIT's two wins in the series have come in the last two meetings in Newark (78-58 on Jan. 2, 2012; 91-88 in overtime on Nov. 23, 2013).
 
Any discussion of Lafayette basketball has to start with Fran O'Hanlon, who will coach his 600th game in charge of the Leopards when they take on NJIT.  He is 290-309 in his 21st season.
 
Lafayette is 1-1, opening with an 85-76 loss at George Washington and defeating Saint Peter's at home in overtime, 87-86.
 
This year's team faces the challenge of replacing three 1,000-point career scorers from the Class of 2015. Despite those losses, the current team has four starters averaging double-figure scoring, led by 24.5 points per game from Nick Lindner.
 
The Leopards, who always feature good shooters and precise passing, have launched 47 3-point attempts in two games. They are also exceptionally dangerous at the foul line making a blistering 88.7 percent of their free throws (47-53).
 
Lafayette team stats and leaders:
Scoring (team 81.5 ppg; -4.0 ppg): Nick Lindner (5-11, Jr; 24.5 ppg); Monty Boykins (6-5, Jr; 14.5 ppg); Matt Klinewski (6-8, So; 12 ppg); Bryce Scott (6-2, Sr;10.5 ppg)
Rebounding (team 31.5 rpg; -18.5 rpg): Klinewski (6 rpg)
Assists: Lindner (9)
Blocks: 2 tied (2)
Steals: Lindner (4); Zach Rufer (6-2, Sr.;4)
3-pt FGM: Scott (5); Boykins (4)
 
A LOOK AT NJIT
The Highlanders, coming off a 21-win season that featured a win at #17/#16 Michigan, wins over teams from nine different Division I conferences, and a postseason national run to the semifinals of the 2015 CIT, have fared well early in the new season.
 
Predictably, they lost to #2 Kentucky, but followed with a road win at USF and then a win in Thursday's home opener over Boston U.
 
Aside from the high caliber of opponents faced so far, NJIT is opening with five games in a span of 10 days.
 
NJIT team stats and leaders:
Scoring (team 69 ppg; -4.3 ppg): Damon Lynn (5-11 Jr; 21 ppg); Ky Howard (6-4, Sr; 14.3 ppg); Tim Coleman (6-5, Jr; 11.3 ppg)
Rebounding (team 33 rpg; -8.7 rpg): Howard (6.7 rpg); Coleman (4.3 rpg); Rob Ukawuba (6-3, Jr; 4.3 rpg)
Assists: Winfield Willis (6-0, Sr; 10); Howard (9)
Blocks: 3 tied (1)
Steals: Coleman (8); Willis (6); Willis (5)
3-pt FGM: Lynn (11; 126; 2nd in the nation in 2014-15)
 
How to watch NJIT sports programming on ESPN3
A simple way to find ESPN3 is on NJIT's official athletics website, www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page NJIT TV section, click Upcoming Events for a list of scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the right of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN3 portal where you can access the desired program.
 
ESPN3 is the live platform for at least 23 NJIT men's basketball games this season.
 
Starting in January, every NJIT game played in the Atlantic Sun Conference, home and away, throughout the regular season game and into the A-Sun postseason tournament will be covered on ESPN3.  Before that, NJIT and ESPN3 will offer live coverage of every men's basketball non-conference home game vs. Division I opponents.
 
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network.  It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. 
 
The network is currently available to more than 99 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. 
 
ESPN3 is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks. That means devices served by NJIT's on-campus computer network can link directly to ESPN3.
 
Others can access ESPN3 through WatchESPN if they receive ESPN programming from an affiliated service provider. Those users need to provide the username and password they use in online communication with their regular service provider (can usually be found on regular billing material from the service provider).
 
Here is a link to Frequently Asked Questions about WatchESPN.