Game 13	at Fairleigh Dickinson University (4-4; 13-18, 9-9 in NEC in 2017-18)
Date | Time	Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 | 7 p.m.
Location | Arena	Hackensack, NJ | Rotham Center
Tickets	FDU Tickets | 201-692-9552
Live Video	NEC Front Row |  Sitesh Shah (PBP) & Darryl Jacobs (color)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time Series	NJIT, 5-0 (4-0 in Division-I)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | FDU Notes

 

(TEANECK, NJ) – The Highlanders attempt to tie their season-high with a four-game winning streak when they travel to take on Fairleigh Dickinson University (4-4) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, N.J.

NJIT (10-2), which emerged victoriously from its first four games of the season, earned a third-consecutive win on Tuesday at Fordham University (7-3) by a score of 53-50. In a defensive battle, the Highlanders pulled ahead from a 48-48 tie just inside of six minutes to go -- not allowing the home team another point until a layup with 11 seconds to go in the game.

Fordham had entered the day with a perfect 6-0 record at Rose Hill Gym. Meanwhile, NJIT improved to 5-1 on the road and one of just three teams in Division-I with five road victories this season (Stony Brook, Furman).

In fact, the Highlanders are one of just five programs in the country with at least 10 wins. Not only has NJIT started 10-2 for the first time since 1994-95, Brian Kennedy's team has reached the 10-win plateau earlier in 2018-19 than in any other season in the 97-year history of the program (at any level of competition).

Back to Tuesday's win, sophomore Zach Cooks scored a game-high 16 points while adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The five-foot-nine continues to lead the ASUN in both scoring average (18.8 ppg) and steals per game (2.7). A bit more of a pleasant surprise is that he second on the team and 11th in the conference in rebounding (5.3 rpg).

Senior Abdul Lewis was NJIT's only other double-digit scorer in the Bronx, posting 11 points with a team-high seven rebounds. After missing the first four games and showing some rust in his first two games back, the Newark native is averaging 13.2 ppg and 9.3 rpg over the last six games. 
 
Whereas senior Diadnre Wilson is the team's only other double-digit scorer (11.0 ppg), junior co-captain Shyquan Gibbs is not far off. The point guard is averaging 9.9 ppg while ranking 10th in the ASUN in assists per game (2.7) and third in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.5).

At the end of the day, the Highlanders have built their identity upon defense this season. NJIT held Fordham 23.5 points below its season average and forced the Rams into shooting just 36.8-percent (21-for-57) from the floor. The Highlanders continue to rank second in the ASUN in scoring defense (66.2 ppg) and field-goal-percentage defense (40.0%) behind Liberty University (59.2 ppg; 39.4%) -- stats that rank NJIT 64th and 87th in the country, respectively.

In their 10 victories this season, they have now allowed just 61.4 ppg on 36.9-percent shooting.

Following this game, NJIT will have a two-week layoff until a visit to University of Houston on Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. from the Fertitta Center. At 9-0, the Cougars rank 24th in the latest Associated Press Men's College Basketball Poll (Dec. 10) and 11th in NCAA NET Rankings.

NJIT appeared in "Others Receiving Votes" in the AP Poll this week -- the first time in program history the program has received recognition in the poll. The Highlanders NCAA Net Ranking is 177.

With a win at FDU, NJIT will have posted at least 11 wins in its first 13 games for just the sixth time in program history -- which dates back to 1922-23. All prior 11-2 or 12-1 starts occurred during Division-III play (1984-85, 1988-89, 1990-01, 1992-93 and 1994-95).
 

All-Time Series:

The Highlanders lead the all-time series with the Knights, 5-0 – and 4-0 in Division-I competition (NJIT secured a 66-56 victory during the 1965-66 season).

The teams met in Newark last season for the first time since 2012-13 and NJIT won, 71-68, on Dec. 16. In that game, the Highlanders trailed, 65-61, with 3:26 left until a triple by Wilson started a 10-3 run. Sophomore Shawndale Jones hit a go-ahead, three-pointer with 1:26 remaining. Lewis finished with a game-high 17 points.

The Highlanders have won their first three meetings with Northeast Conference opponents this season and hold an 18-12 advantage against teams from the NEC all-time.


A Knights' Tale:

FDU evened its record at 4-4 on Wednesday with a 93-84 home win over Army West Point (5-7). The Knights snapped a three-game skid by shooting an impressive 52.5-percent (31-for-59) from the floor and 44.4-percent (12-for-27) from deep.

Aside from the Black Knights, FDU has not had another common opponent with NJIT -- which sank Army, 77-72, on Dec. 4 in Newark.

The Knights received a second-place ranking in the NEC Preseason Poll after tying for sixth place at 9-9 in the conference last season and finishing 13-18 overall.

The team welcomed back four of its five starters and eight players total from a squad that knocked off No. 3 Saint Francis University in the NEC tournament before a one-point loss to eventual champion LIU Brooklyn in the semifinals.

Senior co-captain Darnell Edge, who received All-NEC Third Team honors a season ago, leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring average at 17.4 ppg. The Saugerties, N.Y., native is shooting 42.9-percent (21-for-49) from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Xzavier Malone-Key is second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) while converting at 50.0-pecent from the floor and 47.5-percent (19-for-40) from deep. The other double-digit scorer on the roster is sophomore Jhalil Jenkins, averaging 12.6 ppg to go along with a team-high 31 assists.

The other senior co-captain, Mike Holloway Jr., was an All-NEC Second Team honoree last season and was named Preseason All-NEC, In 2018-19, he's averaging 9.3 ppg and is second on the team with 6.1 rpg. He has crossed both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound plateaus in his career.

The team's leading rebounder is junior Caleb Bishop, who ranks third in the NEC at 6.3 rpg.

Head coach Greg Herenda is in his sixth season at the helm of FDU (64-98) after spending five years as the bench boss at then-Division-II UMass Lowell (2008-13) and one apiece at Division-III Cabrini College (2007-08) and Elgin Community College (2006-07). 

Herenda led the Knights to an 18-15 record and a 2016 NCAA Tournament berth -- FDU's first since 2005. Additionally, the 18 wins were the most by an FDU team since the 2005-06 campaign. During his tenure at UMass Lowell, Herenda guided the River Hawks to a 94-54 record and four-straight Division-II NCAA Tournament appearances (2009-12). 

A native of North Bergen, N.J., Herenda enjoyed a four-year playing career at Merrimack College and still holds the school's single-game assist record (22) while he is tied for the single-season assist average (9.0 apg).