Game 19	vs. Jacksonville (8-11, 1-3 ASUN)
Date | Time	Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 | 4 p.m. ET
Location | Arena	Newark, N.J. | Wellness and Events Center
Tickets	www.NJITtix.com | 973-596-5555
Live Video	ESPN+ | Mike Ventola  (PBP) and Dave Calloway (Color)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time series	Series Tied, 3-3
Game Notes	NJIT Notes (PDF)

 

NEWARK, NJ—NJIT (13-5, 1-2 ASUN) will host Jacksonville (8-11, 1-3 ASUN) in its fourth ASUN Conference game on Saturday, January 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Wellness and Events Center. (TV: ESPN+)

NJIT looks to end a string of back-to-back losses in Newark, where they've won six of eight contests this season.

WATCH: Head Coach Brian Kennedy Previews Jacksonville Matchup

In their last outing, NJIT fell to ASUN leaders and defending champions, Lipscomb, 70-52. It's the first time all season that the Highlanders have dropped consecutive games, a streak they hope to end this weekend.

Sophomore Zach Cooks led the scoring with 12 points, followed by senior Mohamed Bendary's nine points and six rebounds.

Freshman Diego Willis was a bright spot off the bench, finishing with nine points after shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc.

Senior Abdul Lewis, who was honored in a pregame ceremony for surpassing 1,000 career points, finished with eight points and four rebounds.

All-Time Series: Tied, 3-3

NJIT will face Jacksonville for the seventh time since joining the ASUN.

In their previous meeting, the Highlanders prevailed on the road, 71-69. Diandre Wilson shot 5-7 from the field for 17 points and Abdul Lewis racked up 12 points and eight boards.
 
The last four games between NJIT and Jacksonville have been decided by three points or less dating back to 2017. NJIT is 1-3 in those games, but is 4-0 in one-possession games this season.

All-time, NJIT, which joined the ASUN Conference in 2015-16, is 19-26 against ASUN Conference opponents.

NJIT, which finished non-conference play with its best record in since becoming Division I in 2006, is 6-2 at home this season.

Since Jan. 8, 2011, NJIT has posted an impressive 136-119 (.533) overall record in its last 255 games after the Highlanders started their D-I era at 18-114 (.136).

The Highlanders have a current NCAA Net Ranking of 165 (as of January 16) and have appeared in "Others Receiving Votes" in the Associated Press Top-25 three weeks this season (Dec. 10-24) -- the first times in program history that NJIT has been recognized in the poll.

ASUN Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

After winning last year's ASUN Conference men's basketball championship title, Lipscomb was picked to repeat by the league's head coaches in the 2018-19. The Bisons garnered seven of nine first-place votes among the head coaches in the league, while also being selected first in the media poll.

Coincidentally, both polls featured identical rankings.

NJIT was selected sixth in the nine-member conference in both the ASUN Preseason Coaches and Media Polls as Kennesaw State was picked seventh behind the Highlanders with 26 points.

Lewis, an ASUN Conference second-team honoree last season was named to the 2018 ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team.

Jacksonville Dolphins

Jacksonville will play its second game of the week on Saturday against NJIT, entering the contest with an 8-11 (1-3 ASUN) record, good enough for sixth place behind NJIT in the conference.

The Dolphins have opened 2019 winning one of four games. They have dropped their previous two games against North Alabama and Liberty, with their most recent win coming against Kennesaw State on January 9.

Sophomore guard JD Notae leads the Dolphins in scoring with 15.1 ppg followed closely by redshirt-senior forward Jace Hogan with 14.2 ppg.

As a team, Jacksonville ranks fourth in the ASUN Conference in scoring offense (76.3 ppg) and sixth in scoring defense (75.8 ppg).

Head coach Tony Jasick is in the midst of his fourth season as head coach of Jacksonville.

The former 2016 CollegeInsider.com ASUN Coach of the Year is 3-3 in his career against NJIT and 66-83 all-time at the helm of Jacksonville.

Next Up

NJIT hits the road for a quick turnaround on Monday, January 21, when they face North Florida at 7 p.m. ET. (TV: ESPN+)

NJIT will then complete their road trip on Thursday, January 21, against Stetson at 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN+)

Following the weekday road games, NJIT returns home to the Wellness and Events Center in Newark, N.J., on Sunday, January 27, where they will host North Alabama at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available for purchase on NJITTix.com.