Game Preview (VIDEO)

NJIT Game Notes (PDF)


STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The Highlanders (6-8) will play their final game of 2016 on Wednesday night when they battle the Stony Brook Seawolves (4-7) at Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook. Opening tip is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Last time out, NJIT picked up a 92-50 win over non-Division I foe Dean College (MA) while Stony Brook topped Saint Francis (PA) by a score of 75-63 on Dec. 17.
 
The game will be shown live on ESPN3 (all remaining NJIT basketball games will be shown 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.
 
Matt Provence, the voice of the Highlanders, will be on the audio call with the pregame show beginning at 6:45 p.m. The broadcast can be accessed for free at www.njithighlanders.com or by clicking here.
 

ALL-TIME SERIES
 
Stony Brook leads the all-time Division-I series with NJIT, 5-0. Additionally, SBU holds a 12-5 edge overall -- having gone 7-5 during the programs' Division-III years (both schools were founding members of the Skyline Conference that began play in 1989-90).

Last season the Seawovles rolled to an 83-61 win in Newark on Dec. 28, 2015. It was a game in which SBU started up 14-0 and never trailed while shooting 57.9% from the field. Senior forward Jameel Warney was one of four Seawolves in double figures with a game-high 20 points while junior guard Chris Jenkins had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc to pace the Highlanders. 
 
NJIT is 12-20 all-time against America East Conference foes and is 1-0 this season after notching a 75-74 win at UMass Lowell on Dec. 3. Dating back to the 2014-15 season, the Highlanders have won six of the last nine contests against AEC foes -- including a win over New Hampshire in the 2015 CIT
 

DANCES WITH SEAWOLVES
 
Stony Brook snapped a two-game skid with the afore-mentioned 75-63 win over Saint Francis (PA) last time out.
 
Senior guard Lucas Woodhouse and junior guard/forward Bryan Sekunda led the Seawolves with a game-high 17 points on a combined 8-of-15 shooting effort from downtown. Junior forward Junior Saintel also finished in double figures with 15 points.
 
As a team, the Seawolves hit 12-of-28 (42.9%) from three-point range in the game.
 
Woodhouse leads the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg on the season while junior forward Tyrell Sturdivant (11.1 ppg) and freshman guard Akwasi Yeboah (10.4 ppg) also average double figures in points for head coach Jeff Boals' squad.
 
Boals is in his first season at the helm of the Seawolves after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant at Ohio State. The Buckeyes won at least a share of three Big 10 titles and advanced to the Final Four in 2012 during his tenure and Boals played a key role in bringing current NBA players Jared Sullinger and D'Angelo Russell to Columbus.
 
The Magnolia, Ohio native spent his playing days at Ohio University and was a two-time captain for the Bobcats.
 
Boals took over for former head coach Steve Pikiell who departed for Rutgers after leading Stony Brook to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
 
Sekunda's father, Glenn, played college basketball at Syracuse and Penn State.
 
Woodhouse spent two seasons at Longwood University and is the school's Division I leader in career assists (393), single-season assists (213) and single-game assists (13). 

 
NJIT OUTLOOK
 
The Highlanders rode a 47-13 run in the first half en route to a 92-50 win over Dean College (MA) on Thursday afternoon at Fleisher Athletic Center to pick up their seventh straight win at home dating back to last season.
 
Senior guard Damon Lynn led NJIT with 15 points and became the school's all-time leading scorer with a three-pointer early in the second half. Lynn is averaging 22.7 ppg this season, which leads the Atlantic Sun and ranks in a tie for eighth nationally.
 
Jenkins added 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting off the bench for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad and freshman forward Taj Price chipped in with a career-high 13 points.

NJIT hit 15-of-37 (40.5%) from beyond the arc in the game, led by five three-pointers from Lynn and four from Jenkins.
 
The Highlanders also made their mark defensively as they held Dean to 25.7% shooting from the field. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry