NJIT Men's Basketball CollegeInsider.com Tournament Gameday Information
 

Game 30	New Hampshire (19-12) at NJIT (18-11) -- 2015 CIT First Round
Date/Time	Monday, March 16, 2015/7 pm
Location/Arena	Newark, NJ/Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center
Live Video/Audio	Highlander Sports Network w/Matt Provence pbp (subscription charges apply)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
Social Media	@njithighlanders
All-Time Series	NJIT leads, 2-0 (69-67 at NJIT, 11/21/12; 71-63 at UNH, 11/17/13)
Game Notes	NJIT notes / UNH notes

 
A limited number of tickets remain available for Monday's game and can be purchased during the day Monday in the Athletic Department offices on the second floor of the Fleisher Athletic Center, or online here: link
 
Remaining tickets can be purchased in the ticket lobby at game time. Prices are: Adults $15; children 12 and under $10; and NJIT Faculty and Staff $10. NJIT students with valid ID are admitted free of charge.
 
NEWARK, NJ—--Two programs will enter uncharted territory when NJIT hosts New Hampshire Monday night at 7 o'clock in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center in the opening game of the 2015 CollegeInsider.com postseason men's basketball tournament (CIT).
 
For NJIT, which, through the years has competed at all three levels of the NCAA (Division I, II, and III) the game will mark the first Division I postseason appearance for the Highlanders in Division I (they began DI competition with the 2006-07 season and, after a reclassification waiting period, became eligible for DI postseason championship play in 2009-10).
 
The opportunity to compete in and host a game in a national postseason Division I tournament is another major step for the Highlanders who have taken many major steps this season.
 
Most noteworthy, of course, was a 72-70 win at Michigan, ranked #17 and #16 in the two top national polls at the time on December 6 in Ann Arbor. That stunning victory, termed one of the greatest regular season upsets of all time by many experts, placed the Highlanders at the top of the college sports news and drew national and international recognition to NJIT.
 
The win at Michigan, which forever changed the public perception of the Highlanders, was one of 18 this regular season for NJIT, establishing a new program standard for victories in the Division I era.
 
Three days after beating Michigan, the Highlanders came home and edged St. Francis Brooklyn, which went on to win the regular season championship of the Northeast Conference. A month later, on January 9, NJIT scored a big 78-71 win over Yale, which would go on to be co-champion of the Ivy League. On February 2, the Highlanders routed Hampton, 86-67. Hampton won the tournament championship of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and will represent the MEAC in the 2015 NCAA Division I Tournament.
 
The wins over Yale and Hampton were part of a second half of the schedule in which NJIT was 13-2 from December 30 on.
 
NJIT will dress four players averaging at least 11.1 points per game vs. New Hampshire, topped by sophomore guard Damon Lynn's 17.2 points per game. Lynn, who is the first player in NJIT history at any level to reach 1,000 career points in his sophomore season, has made a school-record 112 3-point baskets this season after making 107 as a freshman (set the school record). In addition to his school-record 112 3-pointers, Lynn has 113 assists, the most in NJIT's Division I era. On the other end of the floor, he has a team-leading 51 steals.
 
Junior Winfield Willis is next on the season scoring list at 11.8 ppg and he has made 51 3-pointers and is shooting 83 percent at the foul line (68-82), while making 48 percent of his shots from the field.
 
Ky Howard was out of the mix for a long time, missing every game from January 14 through February 28, before returning from injury in the regular season finale, a 71-62 win over Howard University. The junior showed some rust following his 10-game absence, but nonetheless led the Highlanders with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He averages 11.3 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds, while ranking second in assists (71; he led the team at the time of his injury).
 
Tim Coleman, who raised his game to a different level beginning with a 12-point, 4-assist, 2-block game before Christmas against Villanova (a #1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament), is averaging 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds, while making 55 percent of his shots from the field, including 30 3-point baskets. He also has 39 blocked shots, second on the team to senior Daquan Holiday's 43.
 
New Hampshire
New Hampshire, too, is making its first-ever appearance in a national postseason tournament. The Wildcats, led by veteran coach Bill Herrion, have undergone a remarkable turnaround of their own this season. This season's 19 wins equal the most in program history (also done in 1994-95). Remarkably, the 19 wins are up from the team's 6-24 record just a season ago.
 
Herrion is in his 10th season at UNH. He served was head coach at Drexel, in the America East Conference at the time, from 1991-99 and posted a 167-71 record with the Dragons. He was later head coach at East Carolina from 1999 to 2005, winning 70 games at ECU.
 
Like NJIT's Jim Engles, Herrion is a finalist for the 2015 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award.
 
A look at the 2015 UNH roster shows five players from Texas, including the top three scorers and top two rebounders, on the 13-man squad. Tanner Leissner (America East Rookie of the Year; top scorer; rebounder) is from Texas, as are Jaleen Smith (2nd-leading scorer, rebounder) and Jacoby Armstrong (3rd-leading scorer)
 
UNH team stats and leaders:
Scoring (team 66.8 ppg; +5.9 ppg): Tanner Leissner (6-6, Fr, F; 12.8 ppg); Jaleen Smith (6-4, So, G: 10.5 ppg); Jacoby Armstrong (6-7, So, F; 9.9 ppg); Daniel Dion (6-0, So, G; 9.1 ppg)
Rebounding (team 36.7 rpg; +4.9 rpg): Leissner (7.5 rpg); Smith (5.3 rpg) 
Assists: Smith (87)
Blocks: Leissner (19)
Steals: Smith (43)
3-pt FGM:  Matt Miller (6-4, Sr, G: 61-of-124; 49.2 pct; America East Conference record percentage)
 
Matt Provence will provide play-by-play on the here on www.njjthighlanders.com. Programming is scheduled to begin at least 15 minutes before tipoff.