Game 17	Lipscomb (7-10, 2-2 ASUN) at NJIT (4-12, 1-2 ASUN)
Date | Time	Thursday, January 16, 2020 | 12pm
Location | Arena	Newark, NJ | Wellness and Events Center
Live Video	ESPN+
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time series	Lipscomb Leads 8-2
Game Notes	NJIT Notes (PDF) | Lipscomb Notes

Newark, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team looks to make it two ASUN Conference wins in a row on Thursday when it hosts Lipscomb at noon in the Wellness and Events Center. 

Watch Game Live on ESPN+:
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.  Matt Provence will handle the play-by-play with and color analysis from Rob Kennedy.

A simple way to find ESPN+ is on NJIT's official athletics website, www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN+ portal where you can access the desired program.

Education Day:
Thursday's game is NJIT's annual Education Day game. More than 1,500 local students are expected at the game and will also take part in a tour of the school.

Brinson's Big Day:
Junior forward San Antonio Brinson scored a program single-game record 37 points on 16-of-23 shooting to help lead NJIT to its first ASUN win of the season at previously undefeated (3-0 ASUN) North Florida on Saturday. Brinson also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists in the victory and was named the ASUN Player of the Week for his performance. 

Get Your Buddy a Shot!:
In four wins this season, NJIT is averaging 14.5 apg as opposed to just 9.0 apg in its losses. The Highlanders dished out a season-high 17 assists vs. Wagner and 16 assists vs. Kean and UNF. Zach Cooks, Shyquan Gibbs and Souleymane Diakite are each averaging more than 2.0 apg, with Cooks leading the way at 2.4 apg. Gibbs' five assists vs. Wagner and Brinson's five helpers at UNF lead the team so far this season. 

Diakite-Diakite:
Sophomore Souleymane Diakite recorded three double-doubles in the Highlanders' final three non-conference games and his 12-point, 11-rebound, six block performance at UConn earned him ASUN Player of the Week honors. Diakite's six blocks at UConn were the most in a single game since Tim Coleman swatted six shots in 2014.

Last Time Out vs. Lipscomb
NASHVILLE - The NJIT Highlanders (21-12, 8-8 ASUN) fell in the ASUN Championship semifinals to the Lipscomb Bisons (25-6, 14-2 ASUN) at Allen Arena on Thursday night, 78-55.

Senior Diandre Wilson led the team in scoring with 13 points followed by Zach Cooks with 10 points.

Abdul Lewis recorded his 1,000th career NCAA rebound in the second half, ending the game with seven points and six boards in the effort.

"We didn't play our best basketball tonight, but kudos to Lipscomb," head coach Brian Kennedy said. "They really got on us early and we just tried to hang around…you just want to give yourself an opportunity at the end of the game and towards the end we let it slip away."

All-Time Series
Thursday's meeting is the 11th all-time between the  Highlanders and Bisons, with the previous 10 coming in ASUN action over the last four years. Libscomb leads the all-time series 8-2. The Bisons swept last season's regular season series and defeated the Highlanders in the ASUN Tournament Semifinals.

Last Three Meetings:
3/7/19: Lipscomb 78, NJIT 55 -- Nashville, TN
2/25/19: Libscomb 81, UNF 77 -- Nashville, TN
1/16/19: Lipscomb 70, NJIT 52 -- Newark, NJ

Scouting the Bisons
Libscomb won the ASUN Regular Season title last season and advanced to the NIT Championship game, but returns a new-look team this season. 

Ahsan Asadullah and Michael Buckaland were each named to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference team. Asadullah leads the Bisons in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (8.9 rpg) and assists (3.0 apg)), while Buckland is one of four players averaging double figures in scoring (10.1 ppg).

Lipscomb is 7-10 overall this season and has split its four conference games, winning against Stetson and Kennesaw State, while falling to Florda Gulf Coast and North Alabama.

Up Next
The Highlanders continue their ASUN homestand on Saturday when it hosts Kennesaw State at 4pm in the WEC. The game will follow a 1pm contest between the women's teams from NJIT and KSU.