Game 22	NJIT (9-12, 2-4 ASUN) at Kennesaw State (4-16, 3-3 ASUN)
Date | Time	Thursday, February 2, 2017 | 7 p.m.
Location | Arena	Kennesaw, GA | KSU Convocation Center
Live Video | Live Audio	ESPN3, streaming telecast (WatchESPN app, www.WatchESPN.com) Nathan McCreary(play-by-play); Mariah Chandler (color); Autumn Johnson (sideline reporter)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
Social Media	@njithighlanders
All-time series | Last Meeting	Kennesaw State leads, 2-0 | KSU 82, NJIT 77 (2OT) | 2.6.16
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | Kennesaw State Notes

NJIT (9-12, 2-4 ASUN) looks to seek back-to-back wins with a trip to Kennesaw State (4-16, 3-3 ASUN) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.

With a win on Thursday…
--NJIT will win its second straight game of the season (last time Highlanders won two straight was during a span of a three-game win streak; 12/16 vs Howard, 12/28 vs. Rutgers-Newark and 12/30 at Chicago)
--NJIT will pick up its first all-time victory against Kennesaw State
--NJIT will record its third victory in ASUN Conference action

WATCH LIVE ON ESPN3
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.

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
Thursday's game marks the third all-time meeting between the two teams, with Kennesaw State leading the series, 2-0.  In the first meeting, Kennesaw State topped NJIT, 64-48, in Kennesaw, Georgia, while the two teams played a double-overtime contest in Newark on February 6, with the Owls coming out on top 82-77.

In the double overtime loss, the Highlanders, despite playing without leading scorer and rebounder Leah Horton, who was out with an injury, gave a valiant effort behind career-best performances from sisters Alana Dudley (24 points) and Olivia Dudley (18 points), before, falling to Kennesaw State.

A LOOK AT THE OWLS
Kennesaw State is coming off a 2-0 road sweep in the ASUN with wins over North Florida (67-61) and most recently, an overtime victory against USC Upstate (79-71).  The Owls third win in conference play came at Lipscomb, 70-55.

Senior Deandrea Sawyers, the reigning ASUN Conference Player of the Week, averaged 24.5 points and nine rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from the field and 90.0 percent (18-for-20) from the free throw line. 

Sawyers reached the 20-point plateau in both games and recorded her first double-double of the season after scoring a career-high 29 points and collecting 12 rebounds during a 79-71 overtime victory at USC Upstate on Saturday (Jan. 28).

For the season, Sawyers paced the Owls averaging 11.2 ppg followed by Carlotta Gianolla and Clara Young, who are averaging 9.9 ppg and 9.8 ppg respectively.  Young leads the team with 32 three-point field goals made followed by 22 from Sawyers.

Sophomore forward Allison Johnson sits atop the team averaging 6.9 rpg while Gianolla, the Owls 6-foot-1 freshman forward, is second at 6.1 rpg.  Johnson, an ASUN all-Freshmen team honoree last season, has combined for five double-doubles on the season.  Gianolla has produced 20 rebounds in the last two games.

Head coach Agnus Berenato is in her first season leading the Owls and her 30^th overall, which includes tenures at Rider, Georgia Tech, Pitt and Kennesaw State.  Berenato has guided her teams to 11 post season appearances (5 NCAA, 6 WNIT).

OWLS 6TH IN ASUN COACHES POLL
Kennesaw State, coming off an 11-19 season and fifth-place finish a year ago, was picked sixth in the ASUN Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Jacksonville, which captured last season's conference tournament, was picked first in the poll after receiving 60 points and five first-place votes. Regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast was voted second, after collecting two first-place votes and 55 points. Kennesaw State garnered 23 points.

A LOOK AT THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT is coming off a 76-68 home victory against Lipscomb on Saturday led by senior Alana Dudley's 23 points, leading four double-figure scorers for the Highlanders.

Dudley paces the Highlanders averaging double-figures at 12.3 ppg, including 15 double-digit games.  She has recorded at least one assist in 20-out-of-21 games this season while notching double-digit scoring in the last seven games for NJIT.  She has dished out 75 assists and her 253 career assists ranks third all-time in NJIT's Division I era.

Redshirt sophomore Tatianna Torres is the Highlanders other double-figure scorer, averaging 10.2 ppg while, leading the ASUN in steals with 54.  Torres had a seven-game stretch of scoring in double-figures, which was halted at FGCU on January 21.  Most recently, Torres scored 17 points in the Highlanders win over Lipscomb. She has at least one steal in 15 of NJIT's 21 games.

NJIT's Kelly Guarino paces the team with 34 three-pointer made and freshman forward Danielle Tunstall leads the Highlanders on the boards, averaging 6.2 rpg.  Tunstall has pulled down at least on rebound in all 21 contests and 16 rebounds in the last two games.

NEXT TIME OUT
NJIT will return to action on Saturday when the Highlanders travel to Nashville and face Lipscomb at 1:30 p.m. (CT).  NJIT topped the Lady Bisons' on January 28 in Newark, 76-68, behind Alana Dudley season-best 23 points, which led four double-figure scorers for the Highlanders.