Game 12	at Fordham University (7-2; 9-22, 4-14 in A10 in 2017-18)
Date | Time	Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 | 8 p.m.
Location | Arena	Bronx, NY | Rose Hill Gym
Tickets	Fordham Tickets | 718.817.4759
Live Video	ESPN+ | Mike Watts (PBP), Emmanuel Berbari  (color)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time series	Fordham, 1-0
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | Fordham Notes

 

(BRONX, NY) – At 9-2, NJIT is off to its best start since the program opened 10-1 in 1994-95 – a season in which it went 28-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division-III Elite Eight.
 
However, the Highlanders' challenging non-conference schedule intensifies when they start a four-game road trip beginning with Atlantic 10 opponent Fordham University (7-2) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx, N.Y.
 
NJIT then follows with contests at Fairleigh Dickinson University (Dec. 15), at University of Houston (Dec. 29) and at Duquesne University (Dec. 31) before returning home for ASUN league play on Jan. 5.
 
That said, being on the road has not phased Brian Kennedy's troops.
 
NJIT has gone 4-1 away from Newark and is one of just 10 teams in the nation to have accrued at least four road victories this season. In fact, the Highlanders are one of just three teams with at least nine wins overall and four on the road. The other two squads are Furman University (10-0, 5-0) and UC Irvine (9-2, 4-0).
 
Prior to a loss at UMass Lowell on Dec. 1, NJIT started 4-0 on the road for the first time in 30 seasons and since 1988-89, when it competed as a D-III program.
 
The Highlanders arrive in the Bronx having won back-to-back home contests against Army West Point (77-72 on Dec. 4) and St. Francis Brooklyn (82-60 on Dec. 8).
 
In the win over the Terriers on Saturday, senior Abdul Lewis put forth a monster performance with game-highs in points (19), rebounds (16), assists (3) and blocks (5). The Highlanders took a 3-2 advantage on a free-throw by Lewis with 15:07 to go in the first half and never looked back – leading for the final 34:53 of the game and building the edge as high as 31 points.
 
Sophomore Zach Cooks shared game-high honors with 19 points – matching his ASUN-leading scoring average of 19.0 points per game. He also tied his career-high with seven rebounds, a personal-best set in last Tuesday's win over Army West Point.
 
Senior Diandre Wilson was also a key cog in the victory, scoring 18 points on an effective 5-for-8 shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line. It was the Fort Lauderdale native's best scoring output since draining 20 in a 63-60 win over Brown University on Nov. 11.
 
Despite these three double-digit scoring performances, defense was at the heart of this victory. The Highlanders held the NEC's second-leading scoring offense to just 60 points -- 18.5 points below its season average. In addition, St. Francis Brooklyn finished shooting just 31.3-percent (21-for-67) overall and 21.4-percent (6-for-28) from downtown.
 
The Highlanders rank second in the ASUN in both scoring defense (67.6 ppg) and field-goal-percentage defense (40.3%) behind Liberty University (59.7 ppg; 39.4%). In their nine victories this season, they have allowed just 62.7 ppg on 36.9-percent shooting.
 
Cooks finished one shy of logging his sixth 20-point effort this season. Still, the five-foot-nine guard has eclipsed the 20-point plateau in five of the last seven games – averaging 22.3 points per game in the span. He set a career high with 27 points against Army after scoring 25 in two earlier contests during the stretch.
 
Cooks also leads the ASUN in steals per game (2.6) and ranks second in the country in total thefts (29). Additionally, he sits 11^th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.1).
 
Fresh of his second double-double of the season and 15^th of his NJIT career, Lewis ranks fourth in the ASUN at 8.1 rpg. The Newark native missed the first four games of the season and then displayed a little rust in his first two games back. However, over his last five contests, he is averaging 13.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg.
 
He led the ASUN in rebounding last season (8.8) and currently ranks 14^th among all active Division-I players with 794 career rebounds.
 
Wilson (12.0 ppg) and junior Shyquan Gibbs (10.5 ppg) round out NJIT's list of double-digit scorers this season.
 
With a win, the Highlanders will sweep their four meetings with teams from New York City, having notched wins at Wagner College (71-60 on Nov. 20), at LIU Brooklyn (77-70 on Nov. 24) and against St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
As of Sunday, NJIT has an NCAA NET Ranking of 175.
 
 
All-Time Series:
 
Fordham leads the all-time series, 1-0. However, that victory occurred during NJIT's second season of Division-I play in an 88-44 rout on Dec. 8, 2007, at Rose Hill Gym.  
 
All-time, NJIT is 1-5 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents. The Highlanders haven't played a team from the conference since an 84-81 victory at Duquesne on Nov. 29, 2014.
 
Previously, the program had two losses against LaSalle University and one to each of Duquesne, Fordham and University of Massachusetts.
 
 
Ram Cram:
 
Fordham validated its 7-2 start on Saturday with a 78-70 home win over Rutgers University (5-4). Previously, the Rams did not own a win against a Division-I team that has a current NCAA Net Rank above 251: Florida International (251), Youngstown State (326), Columbia (266), Alabama A&M (351), Manhattan (324).
 
They also have losses to Houston Baptist (201) and Maine (334).
 
After a 9-22 record and a 14^th-place finish in 2017-18, Fordham revamped the roster and is one of the youngest teams in the nation with eight freshmen and two sophomores on its 17-man roster.
 
The Rams had two key returning players in senior forward Prokop Slanina (12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and sophomore guard Ivan Raut (8.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Two others -- Antwon Portley (Saint Peter's) and Erten Gazi (DePaul) -- are now eligible after sitting out a season following a transfer.
 
However, Slanina has yet to play this season due to a shoulder injury and has no timetable for return.
 
Nick Honor, a freshman from Orlando, leads the Rams in scoring at 18.9 ppg – good for sixth in the Atlantic 10. He is also averaging better than three assists per game.
 
Another freshman, Jalen Cobb, is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg. Portley is Fordham's only other double-digit scorer at 10.6 ppg to go along with his team-high 33 assists.
 
Senior Jesse Bunting leads the team with 6.2 rpg while junior Chuba Ohams is second among Rams' rebounders (5.6) while ranking in the top-5 in the Atlantic 10 at 1.8 blocks per game.
 
As a team, Fordham leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 27^th nationally in averaging 10.0 three-pointers made per game.
 
Head Coach Jeff Neubauer is in his fourth season with the Rams (46-57) after serving 10 years at Eastern Kentucky University (188-134). He has also spent time as an assistant at West Virginia University, University of Richmond and The Citadel.
 
In his first year at Fordham, Neubauer led the Rams to a 17-14 overall record and an appearance in the 2016 CollegeInsiders.com Tournament (CIT) – the program's first postseason berth since 1992.
 
While at Eastern Kentucky, he led the Colonels to five 20-win seasons and five trips to national postseason tournaments -- including a berth in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and a near upset of No. 2 Kansas.
 
As a collegiate athlete, Neubauer played point guard at La Salle University and served as a team captain as a senior.