Game 21	North Alabama (9-11, 4-3 ASUN) at NJIT (7-13, 4-3 ASUN)
Date | Time	Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 7pm
Location | Arena	Newark, NJ | Wellness and Events Center
Live Video	ESPN+
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time series	Tied 1-1
Game Notes	NJIT Notes (PDF) | UNA Notes

Newark, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team welcomes North Alabama to the Wellness and Events Center on Thursday in a battle of teams with 4-3 ASUN records. 

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 Dave Calloway.

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.

Last Game Rewind
The NJIT men's basketball team won for the fourth time in five games on Saturday, defeating host Florida Gulf Coast 56-54 in ASUN Conference action in front of 2,843 at Alico Arena.

NJIT (7-13, 4-3 ASUN) scored the first 10 points of the game and never trailed, but FGCU (6-16, 3-4 ASUN) was able to claw back and tie the game on three occasions in the second half. 

Zach Scott's three-pointer with 1:46 to play tied the contest at 54-54, but Zach Cooks answered with a runner 31 seconds later to put the Highlanders back in front by two. Cooks' runner was the final basket of the evening as NJIT was able to get a stop on FGCU's final two possessions to preserve the victory.

"We needed a bucket, and I was able to get a good look coming off a screen," explained Cooks. "They hit a big shot to tie it and had the momentum, so it was important to come down on that next possession and get the lead back."

Winner Takes Third
Thursday's game marks the end of the first half of ASUN play and its never to early to begin looking at the league standings. The winner of the NJIT-UNA contest will finish the first half 5-3 and tied for third place in the league, just one game off the Conference Leader(s). 

All-Time Series
Thursday's meeting is the third all-time between the  Highlanders and Lions, with the previous nine coming in ASUN action last season. The teams split last season's contests, with each squad defending their home floor with a six-point win. 

Last Two Meetings:
1/27/19: NJIT 76, FGCU 70 (OT) -- Newark, NJ
1/12/19: UNA 61, NJIT 55 -- Florence, AL

Last Time Out vs. UNA
NEWARK, N.J. – The NJIT Highlanders (17-5, 5-2 ASUN) completed a comeback win in overtime to defeat North Alabama (8-15, 5-3 ASUN) at the Wellness and Events Center on Sunday, 76-70.

Donovan Greer's game-tying three pointer with five seconds left sent the game into overtime where NJIT sealed the win after trailing for more than 17 minutes in the second half.

"Even when we were down seven points with three minutes to go, no one panicked," head coach Brian Kennedy said. "Everyone knew it was a three possession game and the guys really showed great composure."

Sophomore Zach Cooks finished with 21 points and senior Abdul Lewis collected a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Scouting the Lions
UNA, which was tabbed to finish sixth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll, currently sits at 9-11 on the season and 4-3 in ASUN play.

The Lions are led by 2018-19 ASUN Freshman of the Year and 2019-20 Preseason All-ASUN honoree Jamari Blackmon, who is averaging 11.9 points per game and Christian Agnew, who is averaging 12.8 ppg. 

Emanuel Littles is averaging 9.5 rpg, which ranks second in the ASUN.

UNA is coached by Tony Pujol, who is in his second season after stops as the Assistant Coach at Wyoming, VCU and Alabama.

Up Next
The Highlanders continue their season-long, three-game homestand next Thursday when they welcome North Florida to the WEC. Tip-off against the Ospreys is slated for 7pm.