Game Notes (PDF)


SPARTANBURG, SC -- NJIT (8-8) will open Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday afternoon when they head south to battle USC Upstate (10-7). Opening tip from the Hodge Center in Spartanburg is slated for 2 p.m.
 
The Highlanders held off a late Brown rally in a 75-73 win over the Bears on Wednesday night while the Spartans topped UMKC by a score of 84-75 on Monday night in Kansas City.
 
NJIT is looking for their fourth straight win which would be their longest winning streak since they won five in a row from Jan. 30-Feb. 13, 2016.
 
The Highlanders posted an 8-6 mark in ASUN play last year which tied for second in the league.
 
The game can be seen on ESPN3 (all remaining NJIT 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.
 
Matt Provence, the voice of the Highlanders, will be on the audio call with the pregame show beginning at 1:45 p.m. The broadcast can be accessed for free at www.njithighlanders.com or by clicking here.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
 
USC Upstate won both meetings last season on a pair of buzzer beaters and leads the all-time series 2-0.
 
On Jan. 9, 2016 at Fleisher Athletic Center, the Highlanders erased a 13-point halftime deficit to tie the game with 0:26 left before senior center Michael Buchanan hit a tip-in with 0:01 left to give the Spartans an 80-78 win.
 
In the final game of the regular season in Spartanburg on Feb. 25, NJIT once again battled back from a double-digit deficit and junior guard Chris Jenkins hit a three with 0:07 left to give the Highlanders a 71-69 lead. However, sophomore forward Malik Moore buried one on the other end to give the hosts a 72-71 victory at the buzzer.
 
Senior guard Damon Lynn led the Highlanders with 21 points in that contest while senior forward Josh Cuthbertson paced the Spartans with 15.
 
THE STATE OF UP
 
The Spartans will be looking for their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon.
 
In the 84-75 win at UMKC on Monday, sophomore guard Mike Cunningham led the way for USC Upstate with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting while Moore added 15 points off the bench and Buchanan chipped in with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
This season, Buchanan leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg). He is joined in double figures in points by Cunningham (12.8 ppg), Moore (11.3 ppg) and junior forward Ramel Thompkins (10.1 ppg).
 
Buchanan's 10.4 boards per game rank second in the ASUN and he is also tied for second in the league in field goal percentage (64.3%).
 
The Spartans have made their mark on the defensive end of the floor this season, holding opponents to 42.9% shooting from the field.
 
Head coach Eddie Payne is in his 15^th season at the helm of USC Upstate and is the only current Division I head coach to have coached at all five levels of college basketball (NCAA Division I, D2 & D3, JUCO & NAIA).
 
Since making the transition to Divison I in 2007, the Spartans have notched three CIT berths and four wins over power five schools.
 
Payne's son, Luke ('08), played under his dad and ranks ninth in school history in points (1,381).
 
Sophomore guard Deion Holmes' parents, Elliott and Sharon, both played basketball at USC Upstate and Elliott still ranks 10^th in school history in career scoring average (15.1 ppg).
 
NJIT OUTLOOK
 
After leading by as many as 18 points in the second half, the Highlanders held on for a 75-73 win over Brown on Wednesday night courtesy of senior forward Tim Coleman's block at the buzzer.
 
Brown's Tavon Blackmon pulled up from just outside the three-point arc, but Coleman blocked his shot from behind to preserve the victory for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad.
 
On his 22^nd birthday, Coleman posted 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists for NJIT while freshman Anthony Tarke added a career-high 16 points off the bench and Lynn had 12. Sophomore center Abdul Lewis had eight points and 12 rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Tarke's 16 points came on the strength of 5-of-8 shooting and he sank a pair of triples as well. This season, the Gaithersburg, Md., native is averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 boards per game.
 
Lynn hit a pair of three-pointers on Wednesday to give him 417 in his career which ranks seventh all-time in NCAA Division I history.
 
NJIT's 8-8 record marks the program's second best start through 16 games all-time (9-7 in 2015-16). 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry