NJIT Game Notes


NEWARK, NJ -- NJIT (1-1) will play back-to-back games against Patriot League foes over the remainder of the week, and that begins on Thursday night with a trek to Easton, Pa., to battle Lafayette (1-1). Opening tip from Kirby Sports Center is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Highlanders battled for all 40 minutes, but came up just short in a 93-84 loss at Utah State on Monday. Lafayette notched their first win of the year last time out in a come-from-behind 61-57 victory at Saint Peter's on Monday.
 
Matt Provence, the voice of the Highlanders, will be on the call beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. The broadcast can be accessed for free at www.njithighlanders.com or by clicking here:.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES
 
NJIT is 3-6 all-time against the Leopards, but has won two of the past three meetings -- including an 80-66 win at Fleisher Athletic Center on Nov. 21, 2015. That said, a win on Thursday would mark their first ever victory in Easton.
 
Since NJIT joined Division I in 2006-07, the two teams have done battle every year with the exception of the 2008-09 season.
 
In last year's contest, the Highlanders raced out to a 44-27 halftime lead and had all five starters scored in double figures, led by 17 points apiece from senior Ky Howard and senior Terrence Smith. Matt Klinewski led the way for Lafayette with a career-high 26 points.
 
All-time, NJIT is 10-22 against current Patriot League members, but went 4-0 (including postseason) against the conference in 2015-16. Along with the win over Lafayette, the Highlanders picked up a pair of wins over Boston University and a victory over Army in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com National Postseason Tournament (CIT).
 
Bucknell is the only member of the conference that the Highlanders have never played.
 

SPOTTING THE LEOPARDS
 
In the afore-mentioned comeback win at Saint Peter's on Monday, the Leopards trailed 57-48 with 2:43 to play before scoring the final 14 points of the game to pick up the victory. Junior Eric Stafford's three-pointer with 0:17 left gave head coach Fran O'Hanlon's squad the lead for good.
 
Klinewski, a senior, tied his career-high with 26 points in the win over the Peacocks while senior guard Nick Lindner chipped in with nine points and nine assists.
 
Lafayette-who was picked to finish ninth in the Patriot League preseason poll-opened the season with an 88-48 loss to defending National Champion Villanova.
 
However, the Leopards return four of their top five scorers from a year ago, including Klinewski (13.3 ppg) and Lindner (13.3 ppg).
 
O'Hanlon is in his 22^nd season at the helm of Lafayette and holds the record for games coached (630) in the Patriot League. Over the course of his career, he has taken the Leopards to the NCAA Tournament three times (1999, 2000, 2015) and has been named the PL Coach of the Year on three separate occasions.
 
The Philadelphia native played his college ball at Villanova and still holds the school record for assists in a single game (16). O'Hanlon was selected in the 8^th round of the 1970 NBA Draft by his hometown 76ers and played one season with the Miami Floridians of the American Basketball Association before taking his playing career overseas.

All-time, the Leopards have gone to the NCAA Tournament five times with their most recent appearance after winning the PL Tournament in 2015, when, as a 16-seed, LC fell to 1-seed Villanova, 93-52.
 
Lafayette alum, Joe Maddon, is the manager of the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs.
 
NJIT OUTLOOK
 
In the 93-84 loss to Utah State, senior guard Damon Lynn tied his career-high and NJIT's single-game D1 record with 34 points.
 
Lynn had previously set the record on Jan. 18, 2014 at North Carolina A&T. The senior guard is the nation's active leader in career three-pointers made.
 
The second half was a back-and-forth affair and the Highlanders held the lead on a couple of different occasions before Utah State took the lead back for good on a triple from Shane Rector with 8:28 to play.
 
The Highlanders shot 44.4% from the field and also enjoyed strong offensive outings from seniors Tim Coleman (16 points) and Rob Ukawuba (12 points, six assists, five rebounds).
 
Head coach Brian Kennedy's squad shot 17-23 from the free-throw line on the night and Lynn sank all six of his attempts.
 
Despite the loss, NJIT still holds an impressive record of 37-19 (.660) since Dec. 30, 2014. 

Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry