Â
DELAND, FL — NJIT (15-5, 3-2 ASUN) is set to take on Stetson (4-16, 0-5 ASUN) in its sixth ASUN Conference game on Thursday, January 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Edmunds Center. (TV: ESPN+)
NJIT is one of just two teams in the nation with eight road wins this season (8-3) and hopes to extend their good form against the Hatters. NJIT enters Thursday's game having won back-to-back games and eight of their last 11 contests.
In their last outing, NJIT defeated North Florida on the road, 76-72.
Senior
Abdul Lewis recorded a game-high 24 points and 18 rebounds. The forward has a combined 43 points and 39 rebounds in his last two games combined.
Sophomore
Zach Cooks drained the game-winning three pointer with 17 seconds left and finished with 18 points and three steals.
Senior
Diandre Wilson knocked down multiple clutch three pointers in the win, finishing with 17 points and seven assists in the victory.
All-Time Series: Stetson Leads, 4-3
NJIT will face Stetson for the seventh time since joining the ASUN.
In their previous meeting, the Hatters defeated NJIT, 84-80.
Zach Cooks scored a team-high 21 points followed by
Abdul Lewis, who had a double-double performance with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Â
NJIT last defeated Stetson at home on February 18, 2017, en route to a 60-56 win.
All-time, NJIT, which joined the ASUN Conference in 2015-16, is 21-26 against ASUN Conference opponents.
NJIT, which finished non-conference play with its best record in since becoming Division I in 2006, is 8-3 on the road this season.
Since Jan. 8, 2011, NJIT has posted an impressive 138-119 (.537) overall record in its last 257 games after the Highlanders started their D-I era at 18-114 (.136).
The Highlanders have a current NCAA Net Ranking of 162 (as of January 18) 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.
Stetson Hatters
Stetson heads into its sixth ASUN game of the season in search of its first conference win against NJIT. The Hatters are 4-16 (0-5 ASUN) on the year and currently stand in eighth place in the conference.
Stetson is looking to end a five-game losing streak and are coming off of a road loss to Florida Gulf Coast, 87-65. In conference play, the Hatters have also fallen to North Alabama, North Florida, Lipscomb and Liberty.
Stetson was closest to its first conference win in North Alabama, but were beaten on a buzzer beater from half court.
All four of their wins this season have come at home.
Sophomore guard Christiaan Jones leads the Hatters in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game. He's followed by sophomore forward Abayomi Iyiola who averages 10.4 points per game and shoots 50.9% from the field.
Head coach Corey Williams is in the midst of his sixth season as head coach of Stetson.
Williams has a career 55-125 record with the Hatters and guided his team to within one basket of winning the ASUN Conference tournament in 2016, falling to FGCU in overtime.
Next Up
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. (TV: ESPN+)
Tickets are available for purchase on
NJITTix.com.
Â
