Women's Basketball | 12/5/2016 2:30:00 PM
NJIT, which completed a four-game road trip, will return back to action at home, hosting Binghamton on Tuesday at 7pm on 'Pack the House' night.
NJIT vs. Binghamton All-Time Series
This will be the third meeting between the two schools with the previous two meetings having been split. The Highlanders won 52-48 in Newark on December 6, 2014 while the Bearcats won 54-50 in the 2015 season opener on November 16.
Game Live on ESPN3
The game will be shown live on ESPN3 (all remaining NJIT home basketball games will be live on ESPN3).
Michael Ventola, voice of the Highlanders, is on play-by-play with expert analysis from
David Gass.
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.
A Look at Binghamton (2-5)
Binghamton returns four of its five starters from last season's squad, including top returner
Imani Watkins, who was named to the America East second-team all-conference in 2016.
Junior forward
Alyssa James was named 2016 America East Defensive Player of the Year and third-team all-conference honoree while redshirt sophomore guard
Jasmine Sina, was selected as 2015 America East Rookie of the Year but missed last season due to injury.
The Bearcats, on a two-game road trip to open December, rallied back down 18 and went on to win at Fairleigh Dickinson on December 2. Junior guard Imani Watkins led the way with a game-high 25 points, including seven rebounds, six assists and five blocks.
Watkins ranks seventh in the nation in scoring (22.4 ppg) while leading the America East. She has scored six 20+ games this season, including two 26-point performances. The junior also ranks first in the America East with 17 steals (2.4 spg) and leads the Bearcats with 26 assists.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Sina ranks second on the team at 12.6 ppg followed by junior center Alyssa James at 11.0 ppg. Sophomore forward Rebecca Carmody sits atop the Bearcats averaging 7.4 rpg, ranking second in the America East.
America East Preseason Poll
The Bearcats were picked to finish fourth out of nine teams, its highest selection since the 2011-12 season. The Bearcats are coming off a 2015-16 season in which they were picked to finish ninth but ended up tying for third place. The Bearcats reached the 2016 America East semifinals for the first time since 2012 last season.
A Look at NJIT (3-5; 2-1 at home)
The Highlanders enter Tuesday with a 3-5 overall mark, coming off an 59-38 defeat at Harvard on Sunday. NJIT was led by redshirt sophomore
Kelly Guarino, who shared game-high honors with Harvard's Skinner with 14 points, knocking down a season-best four three-pointers.
NJIT is led by two players averaging double-figure totals – seniors
Leah Horton (11.1 ppg) and
Alana Dudley (10.5 ppg). Dudley has dished out at least one assist in eight games this season, leading the Highlanders with 21 assists.
Freshman
Danielle Tunstall paces the Highlanders with 56 rebounds (7.0 rpg). Tunstall, with three double-doubles, which leads the ASUN Conference and is one of two freshman ranked in the top 35 in the nation, has grabbed at least one rebound in eight games, including a career-best 14 in the season opener against Wagner.
Common Opponents
The teams have two common opponents in common – Patriot League opponent Bucknell and Northeast Conference opponent Fairleigh Dickinson. NJIT went 0-2 against the two, while the Bearcats lost by 10 to Bucknell and most recently defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 80-69, after rallying back down 18.
Sister Sister
NJIT redshirt freshman
Jillian Libby will face older sister
Kylie Libby, a senior on the Binghamton roster. This season,
Jillian Libby ranks second on the team in rebounds (5.8 rpg) while Kylie has appeared in three games for the Bearcats.
Keeping It Social
Keep up with the latest news about NJIT Highlanders by liking the Highlanders official Facebook page: NJIT Highlanders Athletics. For live in-game updates and news, follow @NJITHighlanders on Twitter. Want to see photos and behind-the-scenes action? Give @NJITHighlanders a follow on Instagram and SnapChat!
