NJIT Game Notes (PDF)

Coach Driscoll on the State of the Highlanders (VIDEO)


NEWARK, NJ – The Highlanders (10-19, 2-11 ASUN) will close out the regular season with a tilt against USC Upstate (17-13, 7-6 ASUN) on Thursday night at Fleisher Athletic Center in Newark. Opening tip is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Prior to the game, NJIT will honor the senior class of senior forward Tim Coleman, senior guard Osa Izevbuwa, senior guard Damon Lynn and senior guard Rob Ukawuba.
 
Some of the accomplishments of the senior class include back-to-back 20-win seasons, consecutive CIT semifinal appearances and a 72-70 win over No. 17/16 Michigan on Dec. 6, 2014.
 
Last time out, NJIT rallied to top Stetson by a 60-56 score on Saturday in Newark. The Spartans erased a 16-point half halftime deficit to force overtime, but eventually fell to Florida Gulf Coast, 97-89.
 
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 play-by-play with expert analysis from Dave Calloway.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
 
USC Upstate leads the all-time series by a 3-0 count after holding off a late Highlanders rally in a 75-65 victory on Jan. 7 in Spartanburg.
 
NJIT trailed by as many as 14 before cutting the lead to three with 2:03 left when Coleman converted a three-point play. However, the Spartans' junior forward Rhamel Thompkins answered with a three of his own on the other end to stretch the lead back to six at 69-63.
 
Coleman had 16 points and 10 rebounds to pace head coach Brian Kennedy's squad, while sophomore center Abdul Lewis added 15 points and 10 rebounds of his own and Lynn tallied 11 points.
 
Senior center Michael Buchanan led the way offensively for the Spartans with a game-high 24 points and 15 rebounds and was joined in double figures by sophomore guard Mike Cunningham (13 points) and senior forward Josh Cuthbertson (12 points).
 
The Spartans won both meetings during the 2015-16 season on a pair of buzzer beaters.
 
On Jan. 9, 2016 at Fleisher Athletic Center, NJIT tied the game in the final minute before Buchanan converted a tip-in with 0:01 left to give USC Upstate an 80-78 win.
 
In the return game in Spartanburg on Feb. 25, 2016, the Highlanders once again rallied and junior guard Chris Jenkins buried a three to give the visitors a 71-69 lead with 0:07 remaining before sophomore forward Malik Moore hit a three of his own to lift the Spartans to the 72-71 win.
 
THE STATE OF UP
 
USC Upstate trailed 43-27 at the half, but rallied to force overtime before dropping the 97-89 decision to FGCU on Saturday.
 
Buchanan paced the Spartans with 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Cuthbertson tied his career-high with 22 points, sophomore forward Phillip Whittington added 12 off the bench and Cunningham contributed 11 points.
 
Head coach Eddie Payne's squad leads the ASUN in rebounding at 39.7 boards per game and are outrebounding opponents by an average of 3.1 rebounds per night. The Spartans also rank third in the conference in scoring at 78.4 ppg.
 
Buchanan leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg). He is joined in double figures in points by Cunningham (13.4 ppg) and Moore (11.2 ppg). As a whole, there are seven players that average more than 8.0 ppg.
 
The 9.6 rebounds per game from Buchanan rank second in the ASUN and he also sits second in the league in FG PCT (63.1%).
 
Payne is in his 15th 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 10th in school history in career scoring average (15.1 ppg).
 
NJIT OUTLOOK
 
Sophomore guard Reilly Walsh buried his third triple of the day with 0:49 left and the Highlanders snapped a nine-game skid with a 60-56 win over Stetson on Saturday.
 
NJIT trailed by nine with seven minutes to play before closing the game on a 20-7 run.
 
The win marked the 100^th all-time against a Division-I opponent in NJIT program history.
 
Freshman forward Anthony Tarke posted his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Highlanders, while Coleman chipped in with 14 and Walsh had a career-high 10.
 
In five games since entering the starting lineup, Tarke is averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
 
Coleman is the only active player in Division I with at least 1,400 career points, 700 rebounds, 225 assists, 150 steals and 125 blocks.
 
Lynn will end his career as the Highlanders' all-time leading scorer and he ranks fourth all-time in career three-pointers made in NCAA Division I history.
 
With a win on Thursday and a Stetson loss to Florida Gulf Coast, NJIT will clinch the No. 7 seed in next week's ASUN Tournament. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry