The Highlanders will make its first long road trip of the season, to Burlington, Vermont, for a two-day tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend hosted by University of Vermont at Patrick Gymnasium.
NJIT will face host Vermont on November 25 at 7pm and take on either Wisconsin Milwaukee or LIU Brooklyn a day later, as part of the TD Bank Classic. Milwaukee Wisconsin from the Horizon League, who the Highlanders could face in the four-team tournament, reached the opening round of the 2016 WNIT.
The game vs. Vermont will add meaning for head coach
Steve Lanpher, who was formerly assistant coach and then associate head coach for Vermont. In his four years on the staff, the Catamounts were a combined 91-40 with one WNIT berth and two NCAA berths, including 2010, when they finished with 27 wins and advanced to the second round of the NCAAs.
Michael Ventola, 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. Fans can watch the game live for free on the America East TV.
NJIT Outlook
The Highlanders enter the TD Bank Classic with a 2-2 mark, most recently dropping a five-point decision, 66-61, at home against Fairleigh Dickinson on November 21. NJIT held an eight-point advantage at halftime, 34-26, and were ahead by five, 55-50 with less than eight to play in the game.
The Knights used a 7-2 spurt to knot the game at 57 and later went ahead, 62-59, on a layup by Thomas with 2:42 remaining in the game and held on for a 66-61 victory.
NJIT on a two-game skid, will look to return back to the win column against Vermont. The Highlanders won its first two games of the season, 68-45 against Wagner, and 87-53 against Division III foe, St. Joseph's College—Brooklyn.
The Highlanders are led by two players averaging double-figure totals – seniors
Alana Dudley (14.3 ppg) and
Leah Horton (11.8 ppg).
Dudley has scored in double-digits in each of the Highlanders four games, with a high of 20 in the season-opener against Wagner. She has at least one steal and one assist the first four games.
Horton, who ranks second on the team in scoring, has recorded double-digit scoring totals in three of NJIT's four contests and is shooting 51 percent from the field (20-39).
Freshman forward
Danielle Tunstall, who started off the season with back-to-back double-doubles, paces the Highlanders with 35 total rebounds (8.8 rpg) while averaging 9.8 ppg, which ranks the freshman tied for third on the team with
Tatianna Torres.
Keeping It Social
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Vermont Outlook
Vermont enters the TD Bank Classic with a 1-3 overall mark, with the teams' lone victory, coming against Dartmouth, 59-54, on November 13.
Chris Day in his first season at Vermont, arrived in Burlington, as an assistant coach from the University of Pennsylvania, where he served for three seasons (2013-16). He helped guide the Quakers to the 2013-14 and 2015-16 Ivy League Championships, earning NCAA Tournament berths both seasons, and helped lead the program to the 2014-15 WNIT postseason tournaments.
Vermont is led by three double-figure scorers – 6-foot-3 forward Candice Wright (12.3 ppg), 5-foot-11 guard Sydney Smith (10.8 ppg) and 6-foot-3 forward Hanna Crymble (10.3 ppg). Wright is the team leader with 5.8 rpg followed by Crymble with 5.5 rpg.
All-Time Series
This will mark the second all-time meeting between the two schools, with Vermont leading, 1-0, topping the Highlanders 54-46 in Newark in 2015-16.
America East Preseason Poll
The America East Conference unveiled its 2016-17 preseason women's basketball poll, predicted the Vermont Catamounts to finish eighth out of nine teams after collecting 20 points. Vermont finished the 2015-16 season with a 9-21 overall mark and 4-12 in AE.
LIU Brooklyn Outlook
LIU Brooklyn, still searching for its first win of the 2016 season, enters the TD Bank Classic with an 0-3 overall record. The Blackbirds are coming off a 113-54 loss to No. 7/8 Ohio State on November 19.
Shanovia Dove is one of four starters and eight letter winners who return for LIU in 2016-17. She, along with classmate
Brianna Farris, lead a young team that welcomes six newcomers, along with two transfers who will be dressing for LIU for the first time this season.
Dove is the lone Blackbird, averaging double-digit scoring totals at 12.7 ppg while freshman center
Aja Boyd and junior forward
Gabrielle Caponegro share team-high honors with 6.3 rpg.
All-Time Series
NJIT leads the all-time series, 2-1, with its most recent win last season, 53-44 in Brooklyn. The last time LIU Brooklyn defeated NJIT was in 2014-15 in Newark, 57-48.
Northeast Conference Preseason Poll
The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team has been picked to finish fifth out of 10 teams in the Northeast Conference in 2016-17. Senior
Shanovia Dove was selected as a member of the Preseason All-NEC Team, after earning third-team All-NEC honors in 2015-16. Dove finished her junior season averaging 14.5 points per game, ranked eighth in the conference.
Wisconsin Milwaukee Outlook
Milwaukee, winners of its last two games, is coming off a 80-63 victory taking down in-state rival Wisconsin Tuesday night.
Jenny Linder ed all players with 28 points and
Sierra Ford-Washington added another 27 points in the win. The win marks the first for fifth-year head coach
Kyle Rechlicz over the Badgers – the team Rechlicz played for collegiately and was an assistant coach with prior to being named Milwaukee's head coach.
Milwaukee is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, winning 19 games a year ago and earning a berth to the WNIT. The 19 wins are the most in a season since the 2005-06 team that finished 22-9 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers return three starters and nine letter winners from last season, welcoming six newcomers to the roster, including four true freshmen.
Milwaukee (3-1) is paced by junior forward Steph Kostowicz's double-double of 19.8 ppg and 10.0 rpg. Kostowicz is shooting an impressive 69 percent (27-39) from the field. In four games this season, Kostowicz has recorded at least 12 or more points, including a season-best 30 points at Northern Illinois on November 16.
The Panthers two other double-figure scorers are Jenny Lindner (17.3 ppg) and senior guard Sierra Ford-Washington (16.0 ppg).
All-Time Series
This will mark the first all-time meeting between the two schools. In fact, this will mark the first time NJIT will compete against a team from the Horizon League.
Horizon League Preseason Poll
The Panthers were picked third in the 2016-17 preseason coaches' poll after finishing in second place a year ago. Last year's second-place finish marked the first time Milwaukee has finished in the top half of the league standings since the 2010-11 team placed fourth and it is the first top-two finish for UWM since taking second in the 07-08 season.
Rechlicz enters her fifth season as head coach of Milwaukee with high hopes, having been named Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2015-16.
