NEWARK, NJ--NJIT will travel north to take on Preseason America East Conference favorite Maine this weekend with the two day series, tipping off at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Game Information
Game times are slated for 1pm on Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10.  Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ with in-game statistics available on www.NJITHighlanders.com.   

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.

All-Time Series
NJIT leads the all-time series, 2-0.

11/29/08 | NJIT 68, Maine 60 - 2008 Dead River Company Classic
11/21/09 | NJIT 63, Maine 50

Last Time Out for NJIT
Three players reached double-figures for UMass Lowell as the River Hawks picked up a 53-47 road victory at NJIT to sweep the weekend conference series from the Highlanders, as the River Hawks registered a 58-53 victory on Saturday.

NJIT (2-8, 2-4 America East) had two players in double-digits, paced by freshman Lyzi Litwinko with 13 points followed by classmate Grace Plummer with a career-best 12 points.  

Litwinko filled up the stat sheet Sunday, leading the Highlanders on the glass with seven rebounds (tying her personal-best mark), six assists (a new personal-high) and two steals.  Plummer connected on 4-of-8 from three-point range in 22 minutes off the bench for the Highlanders.  Senior captain Ellyn Stoll added nine points and four rebounds.

Scouting Report: NJIT Highlanders
NJIT enters this weekend with a 2-8 overall mark, 2-4 in the America East Conference.  The Highlanders picked up its first-ever win in the America East at New Hampshire, 78-59, on December 5.  

Four of the Highlanders' eight losses have been decided by six points or less.

Sophomore guard Kenna Squier leads the team in scoring with 11.0 points-per game (ranks 12th in the America East). 

Freshman Lyzi Litwinko ranks third in scoring at 8.3ppg and tops the Highlanders in three categories--rebounding (5.1rpg), assists (2.9), which ranks fifth in the America East and steals (10). In the last three games, Litwinko is averaging 12.3ppg, including a career-best 14 points against Vermont on December 28, 2020.

Seven Highlanders have made 32% or better of their shots from downtown, which ranks NJIT second in the America East with 63 (6.3pg).  Senior captain Ellyn Stoll paced NJIT with 14 three-pointers and ranks second on the team in scoring at 9.0ppg.

2020 Highlander Outlook
Head coach Mike Lane begins his third season at the helm of the Highlanders, after spending six seasons at Bucknell University as the top assistant coach, where he helped guide the Bison to a program-best 27-6 mark, Patriot League title and conference championship while earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2017.

Veteran Ellyn Stoll will enter her senior campaign with 749 career points. Last season, she ranked third on the team at 8.8ppg, including 10 double-digit scoring contests with a career-best 25 points at Kennesaw State (2.29.20). The 5-foot-9 guard paced the Highlanders with 49 three-point field goals.

Redshirt junior Kimi Evans, who played two seasons at Seton Hall, practiced with the Highlanders in 2019-20, but did not compete under NCAA Division I transfer rules. Kimi joins younger sister Dani Evans on the court for the upcoming basketball season.

Sophomore Kenna Squier, an 2020 ASUN All-Freshman team honoree, averaged 10.9 ppg in her first season at NJIT. She registered 16 double-digit games, including the last six-out-of-10 contests and one career double-double (21pts, 10rebs) in NJIT's win over Saint Peter's. Her 80 assists topped the team, including a career-best eight assists at Lipscomb.

Fresh Faces
The Highlanders have added six new faces ahead of the 2020-21 season.  All six are true freshmen: Lindsey Syrek, Grace Plummer, Aria Myers, Kiana Brereton, Lyzi Litwinko and Lilly Anderson.

New Home for Highlanders in 2020-21
The 2020-21 season will feature NJIT's first season as a member of the America East Conference.  The Highlanders, who became the 10th full member of the America East effective July 1, 2020, will play a full basketball double round‐robin schedule of 18 conference games against the other nine schools.  The schedule format consists of weekend series (Saturday and Sunday) where a team hosts the same opponent on back‐to‐back days for two games.

NJIT departs the ASUN Conference after five seasons as a member (first season 2015-16), which marked the first time that the Highlanders had been a full member of an automatic qualifying NCAA Division I multisport conference.

Scouting Report: Maine Black Bears
Maine enters the weekend ranked No. 12 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid Major top 25 poll and will play at home for the first time since March 8, 2020. 

The Black Bears, the preseason favorite pick in the America East sits with a 6-1 overall mark and 3-1 record in the conference. 

Maine had a 15-game win streak snapped on January 2, 2021 as New Hampshire upset the Black Bears, 58-57, for its first loss since January 26, 2020.

The Black Bears are coming off a 76-56 victory over New Hampshire behind a school-record 10 three-point field goals by Kelly Fogarty, who finished 10-of-17 from 3-point range for 30 points.

Blanca Millan, named to the 2021 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, is one of only 15 mid-major players selected to the mid-season watch list.  Millan ranks in the top three among America East leaders in seven statistical categories. 

The 2019 America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year, ranks 16th in the country and first in the America East in scoring at 23.1 points per game. The fifth-year guard, who has tallied 30 or more points on three occasions this season, checks in second among conference leaders in rebounding (8.6) and leads the way at 2.3 steals per game.

In addition to Millan, Anne Simon is averaging 11.1ppg and 6.6rpg followed by Dor Saar at 10.7ppg and tops the team with 19 three-point field goals, which ranks first in the America East.

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