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FORT MYERS, FL — NJIT (18-7, 6-4 ASUN) takes on Florida Gulf Coast (10-16, 5-6 ASUN) in its eleventh ASUN game on Wednesday, February 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Alico Arena. (TV: ESPN+)
NEXT HOME GAME: North Florida vs. NJIT | February 16
NJIT looks to snap a two-game losing streak on Wednesday after seeing its five-game winning streak end last week at Liberty.
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season.
Overall, the Highlanders have won 11 of their last 16 games.
In NJIT's previous game, the Highlanders fell in a nail biter at Kennesaw State, 63-62.
Sophomore
San Antonio Brinson led the team in scoring with 16 points, followed by senior
Diandre Wilson.
Sophomore
Zach Cooks and senior
Abdul Lewis both contributed 10 points each.
Lewis, who earned ASUN Co-Player of the Week honors two weeks ago, is averaging a double-double in his last seven games with 105 points (15.0 ppg) and 79 rebounds (11.3 rpg).
All-Time Series: FGCU Leads, 5-2
NJIT faces "Dunk City" for the second time this season in Wednesday's midweek matchup.
Last time out on Jan. 30, NJIT were victorious at the Wellness and Events Center, 66-54.
Zach Cooks led the team in scoring with 17 points followed by
San Antonio Brinson with 13 points and seven rebounds.
All-time, NJIT, which joined the ASUN Conference in 2015-16, is 24-28 against ASUN Conference opponents.
NJIT, which finished non-conference play with its best record since moving up to Division I in 2006, is 9-5 on the road this season, the third highest road wins total in the country.
Since Jan. 8, 2011, NJIT has posted an impressive 141-121 (.538) overall record in its last 262 games after the Highlanders started their D-I era at 18-114 (.136).
The Highlanders have a current NCAA Net Ranking of 174 (as of Feb. 9) 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 FGCU was picked second behind Lipscomb with 66 points.
Lewis, an ASUN Conference second-team honoree last season was named to the 2018 ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
Florida Gulf Coast (10-16) enters Wednesday's game with a 5-6 record in the ASUN Conference and having won two of their last three games.
The Eagles currently stand in fourth place of the ASUN ahead of North Alabama (8-18, 5-6 ASUN) on overall record.
FGCU's five conference wins include victories over Kennesaw State, Jacksonville, North Florida, North Alabama and Stetson.
In their previous game, "Dunk City" challenged Liberty on the road, but ultimately were defeated at the Vines Center, 74-67.
Senior Schadrac Casimir leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 14.7 ppg. The guard leads the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage (49.6%) and three-point field goals made per game (3.0).
As a team, FGCU ranks second in turnovers forced (14.6) and third in three-point field goal percentage in the ASUN.
Next Up
The Highlanders return home for the first time in more than two weeks on Saturday, February 16, to host North Florida at 4 p.m. ET.
Tickets are available for purchase on
www.NJITtix.com.
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