NEWARK, NJ—NJIT will welcome neighboring Rutgers-Newark on December 28 at 7pm for the final home game on the Highlanders 2016 calendar.
With a win on Wednesday..
-- NJIT will have won the last three-out-of-four contests
-- NJIT will have won two straight
--NJIT started off the season 2-0 (first time in the Division I era (first season 2006-07)
--
Steve Lanpher needs two wins to reach 200
th coaching win as head coach
The game will be shown live on
ESPN3 (all remaining NJIT home basketball games can be seen 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.
Michael Ventola, the voice of the Highlanders, is on play-by-play with expert analysis from
David Gass.
Starting in January, every NJIT game played in the ASUN Conference, home and away, throughout the regular season and into the ASUN postseason tournament will be covered on
ESPN3.
ALL-TIME SERIES
NJIT leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Highlanders won the last two meetings against Rutgers-Newark (71-42) on February 17, 2014 and (90-31) on November 18, 2012. The lone victory for the Raiders (74-33) came on November 22, 1996, when the Highlanders competed at the Division III level.
A LOOK AT RUTGERS-NEWARK (4-7)
The Scarlet Raiders, winners of its last three contests, enter Wednesday's game with a 4-7 overall mark.
Rutgers-Newark is coming off a 62-40 victory at Drew University, paced by senior guard
Maria Simmons, who had an efficient 16 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep to lead the Raiders. She added eight rebounds, six assists and one steal to her line.
Simons, the 5-foot-4 guard, was named NJAC Player of the Week for the second time in two weeks, averaging 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the week. Simons is one of two double-figure scorers on the team, leading the way with 16.5 ppg, 18 three-point field goals made and 66 assists. She is second in rebounding (5.9) and steals (25).
Sophomore guard
Faith Ashby is the Raiders second-leading scorer at 15.1 ppg. She has scored in double-figures in all 11 games, including two 20-point performances and one double-double.
The Scarlet Raiders are led by second-year head coach
Ashley Cieplicki, who was named head coach in July 2016, after one season as the Acting Head Coach.
The New Jersey native and former Rowan University standout, Cieplicki joined the Scarlet Raiders after being on the staff at Fairleigh Dickinson University since 2012.
NJAC Preseason Poll
Rutgers-Newark, which competes in the Division III New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), was selected to finish seventh out of 10 teams in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Raiders finished 8-17 last season, including four wins in the NJAC.
A LOOK AT NJIT (5-7)
NJIT, which has won the last two out of three contests, improved to 5-7 on the season, with a 70-55 victory over Howard on December 16, to exceed last seasons' win total.
Senior
Alana Dudley and redshirt sophomore
Tatianna Torres combined for 46 points leading NJIT past Howard. Torres scored a new career-best with 23 points, surpassing her old mark of 18 accomplished against St. Joseph's College – Brooklyn on November 15. The redshirt sophomore finished 10-of-16 from the floor, including four rebounds, four steals, two assists and one block.
Dudley, the reigning ASUN Player of the Week, combined for 23 points, just one-point shy her personal-best against Kennesaw State on February 6, 2016. The Highlanders tri-captain finished 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers in addition to a game-best seven assists.
The 14 teams steals is four shy the NJIT Division I record (18) accomplished three different times since competing against a D1 schedule (first season 2006-07).
NJIT, which is 3-2 at home this season, is paced by Dudley's 12.0 ppg, 43 assists and 22 steals. Dudley has recorded at least one assist or steal in the first 12 games and sits in fourth all-time in the NJIT Division I era with 221 assists.
The other double-figure scorer for NJIT is senior forward
Leah Horton at 10.3 ppg.
Freshman guard
Tracey Brereton made her first collegiate start vs. Howard, setting a new personal-best mark in rebounds (5) and steals (4).
NEXT ACTION
NJIT will close out the year in Chicago, visiting Chicago State from the Western Athletic Conference on December 30 at 2pm (CT).
The Cougars, like NJIT, were 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 Chicago State, departing to the Western Athletic Conference.
NJIT won the last women's basketball game ever played in the Great West, the 2013 GWC championship game.
