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LYNCHBURG, Va. — NJIT (18-5, 6-2 ASUN) takes on Liberty (18-5, 7-1 ASUN) in its ninth ASUN game on Saturday, February 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Vines Center. (TV: ESPN+)
NEXT HOME GAME: North Florida vs. NJIT | February 16
NJIT enters the game on a five-game winning streak featuring wins over Jacksonville, North Florida, Stetson, North Alabama and FGCU. The streak is NJIT's longest of the season and first time they've achieved five consecutive victories since 2016.
Overall, the Highlanders have now won 11 of their last 14 games.
In their last contest, NJIT defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 66-54. The win was the Highlanders' ninth home win of the season.
Sophomore Cooks led the team in scoring with 17 points, followed by
San Antonio Brinson who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
By the end of the game, 10 different Highlanders tallied points on the scoresheet.
Senior
Abdul Lewis earned ASUN Co-Player of the Week honors and has totaled three double-doubles in his last five games.
Lewis finished the week with a combined 53 points, 38 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks over the course of three games last week. He has averaged 17.7 PPG and 12.7 RPG during the span.
All-Time Series: First Meeting with Liberty
NJIT meets Liberty for the first time since the Flames joined the ASUN on Saturday.
All-time, NJIT, which joined the ASUN Conference in 2015-16, is 24-26 against ASUN Conference opponents.
NJIT, which finished non-conference play with its best record since moving up to Division I in 2006, is 9-3 on the road this season, the second highest road wins total in the country.
Since Jan. 8, 2011, NJIT has posted an impressive 141-119 (.542) overall record in its last 260 games after the Highlanders started their D-I era at 18-114 (.136).
The Highlanders have a current NCAA Net Ranking of 160 (as of January 31) 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.
Liberty Flames
Liberty enters Saturday's game with a 7-1 record in the ASUN.
The Flames currently stand in second place of the ASUN behind leaders Lipscomb (8-0 ASUN). Their 7-1 record features wins against FGCU, Kennesaw State, Stetson, North Florida, North Alabama and two wins against Jacksonville.
Their only conference loss came in their previous game against ASUN leaders Lipscomb, 79-59.
Liberty has been sensational at the Vines Center this year, boasting an impressive 10-1 record.
Junior Scottie James leads Liberty in scoring with 12.0 ppg, closely followed by junior Caleb Homesley at 11.7 ppg.
As a team, Liberty leads the ASUN in scoring defense with 59.9 ppg and is second in scoring margin at +15.5.
Next Up
NJIT will break for the week before heading to Georgia where they will take on Kennesaw State on Saturday, February 9, at 4:30 p.m. ET. (TV: ESPN+).
NJIT then heads further south to Fort Myers, Florida, to take on Florida Gulf Coast once again on Wednesday, February 13, at 7 p.m. ET. (TV: ESPN+).
Finally, the Highlanders return home on Saturday, February 16, when they will host North Florida at 4 p.m. ET.
Tickets are available for purchase on
www.NJITtix.com.
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