NJIT will open the 2018-19 season on the road Tuesday, November 6 at Saint Peter's. Tip is scheduled for 7pm in Jersey City, NJ.
With a win on Tuesday…
--Head Coach
Mike Lane will register his first win at NJIT
--NJIT will begin the season 1-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season (NJIT 68, Wagner 45 | November 12, 2016)
--NJIT will even the all-time series vs. Saint Peter's – 3-3
NJIT Outlook
The Highlanders begin a new era under first-year head coach
Mike Lane. Lane comes to NJIT after spending six seasons at Bucknell University as the top assistant coach, where he helped guide the Bison to a program-best 27-6 mark, Patriot League title and conference championship while earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
Top returner
Tatianna Torres, a 2018 Preseason ASUN All-Conference honoree, finished the 2017-18 season, starting all 30 games and paced the Highlanders in three categories – rebounds (155; 5.2), assists (94) and steals (51).
The graduate student from Arlington, Virginia, averaged 11.3ppg, combining for 18 double-digit games, including a season-best 27 points and 16 rebounds vs. St. Joseph's Brooklyn (December 11).
The 5-foot-10 guard dished out at least one assist in 28-out-of-30 games and one steal in 27-out-of-30 games.
Graduate student
Kelly Guarino ended the 2017-18 season as the team leader in points at 12.5ppg, leading the Highlanders in the last four contests and tying her career-best mark at North Florida on February 17 with a 24-point performance.
Her 61 three-point field goals made, tops the Highlanders, ranking first in the ASUN in three-pointers made per game (2.9) and second in three-point field goal percentage (39.1).
Guarino scored in double-figures in the last 11-out-of-12 games and netted 18 three-pointers in the last four games. Her 180 career three-pointers rank second all-time in the NJIT D1 era and her 35.6 shooting percentage from behind the arc ranks first.
Junior forward
Danielle Tunstall, a 2017 ASUN All-Freshmen team selectee, started 18 games for the Highlanders last season (missing five due to a finger injury), ranked second on the team in rebounding (5.1rpg).
Milena Bajic, from Podogorica, Montenegro, spent two seasons at the University of Memphis (15-16; 16-17), and practiced with the Highlanders in 2017-18. She will return back to the court in 2018-19 season under NCAA Division I transfer rules.
Sophomore
Dez Allen combined for 189 points (6.5ppg) and 125 rebounds, which ranked third on the team at 4.3rpg while classmate
Ellyn Stoll scored 256 points (8.5ppg), which ranks third on the team. Stoll notched double-figure scoring in 11 games, including a career-best 20 points vs. Rider (Dec. 16). Her 50 assists and 47 three-point field goals ranks second on the team.
ASUN Conference
The Highlanders, who became the eighth full member of the ASUN effective July 1, 2015, will begin its fourth season in the ASUN Conference, will have 16 games, home-and-away, against the other nine conference teams.
NJIT was selected ninth in the 2018 Preseason ASUN Conference poll.
After winning last year's ASUN Conference women's basketball championship title, FGCU was picked to repeat by the league's head coaches in the 2018-19. The Eagles garnered eight first-place votes among the head coaches in the league, while also being selected first in the media poll.
Scouting Saint Peter's
First-year head coach Marc Mitchell will lead the Peacocks in 2018-19. Mitchell comes to Jersey City with an impressive coaching resume including the last nine seasons as head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Florham in Madison, NJ where he won six straight conference titles and claimed a Division III undefeated national championship.
The Peacocks have three starters returning to the squad from last season: Zoe Pero (9.9ppg; 5.7rpg), D'Aviyon Magazine (4.5ppg; 1.1rpg), and Dajiah Martin (3.0ppg; 3.3rpg).
Saint Peter's welcomes 10 newcomers to the team this season; the additions include three transfers and seven freshmen. The three transfers Gabrielle Harris, Taiah Thornton, and Kendrea Williams will sit their year in residence for the 2018-19 season and return back to the court in the 2019-20.
MAAC Preseason Poll
Saint Peter's was picked 11th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Reigning MAAC champions Quinnipiac was selected first in the poll, garnering 10 out of 11 first place votes. Marist finished second in the poll and received the final first place vote. In third was Siena followed by Rider and Fairfield to round out the top five. Manhattan, Monmouth, Canisius, Niagara, Iona, and the Peacocks closed out the poll in that respective order.
Up Next
Three days later, NJIT will visit Howard from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on November 9. In the last meeting between the two teams in 2016-17, NJIT topped the Bison, 70-55.
