NEWARK, NJ–After a 19-day break, the NJIT women's basketball team will return to the court and open America East Conference action hosting defending America East Champions Stony Brook on Thursday, December 30 at 2pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
Game Information
Tip-off is slated for 7pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center and for those not able to attend the game can watch via ESPN+ with in-game statistics available on NJITHighlanders.com.
All-Time Series
NJIT will look for its first all-time win over Stony Brook. The Seawolves lead the all-time series, 4-0.
1/24/21 - Stony Brook 73, NJIT 41
1/23/21 - Stony Brook 63, NJIT 51
11/8/13 - Stony Brook 50, NJIT 44
11/25/12 - Stony Brook 59, NJIT 34
Five Wins for the Highlanders
The five wins for the Highlanders are the most since the 2018-19 season, when NJIT finished 6-24.
12/11/21 - NJIT 59, St. Francis Brooklyn 53
11/27/21 - NJIT 67, Saint Peter's 61
11/21/21 - NJIT 67, CCSU 63
11/18/21 - NJIT 59, LIU 53 (OT)
11/14/21 - NJIT 61, Wisconsin 49
1,000 Career Points Milestone for Ellyn Stoll
Ellyn Stoll scored her 1,000 career point at Rider on December 1, 2021. Entering the game, Stoll needed eight points to hit the milestone. She becomes the fourth player in the NJIT Division I era to reach 1,000 career points and 10th all-time in NJIT women's basketball history.
The co-captain is averaging 10.1ppg, including 79.3% from the free throw line.
Last Time Out
Freshman Reese Vaughan broke a 53-53 tie on a three-pointer with 1:13 left to go in the game and visiting NJIT held on for a 59-53 road victory at St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday afternoon to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule at Daniel Lynch'38 Gymnasium.
NJIT, which snapped a three-game skid, moved to 5-6 on the season, behind three players reaching double-figures, paced by Kenna Squier's game-best 14 points followed by Kimi Evans (11) and Lyzi Litwinko (11).
Beyond the Arc
NJIT recorded a season-best nine three-pointers in the Highlanders 67-61 home win over Saint Peter's. The Highlanders connected on seven three-pointers three times this season -- vs. FDU (11/24), at CCSU (11/21) and at Wisconsin (11/14).
Stoll paces NJIT with 18 three-pointers.
Dishing Out Dimes
The 16 assists against Saint Peter's is season-best for NJIT. Three different Highlanders -- Maria Fux, Lyzi Litwinko and Ellyn Stoll posted four assists in the win. In a tough battle at Big East opponent Marquette, NJIT recorded 14 assists.
Crashing the Boards
Standing at 5-foot-8 Lyzi Litwinko and Kenna Squier pace the Highlanders on the glass, averaging 6.3rpg and 6.0rpg respectively.
This season, Litwinko has grabbed at least two rebounds through the first 11 games, including a career-best nine rebounds at CCSU (11/21/21).
Collegiate Debut for Trinity Williams
NJIT freshman Trinity Williams netted 13 points in her collegiate debut against Wagner the season opener on November 9, 2021. Williams, the Highlanders 6-foot-1 forward from Upper Black, PA, shared game-high honors in her debut with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 1-for-2 from downtown in 17 minutes of action off the bench.
America East Conference
NJIT will begin its second season in the America East and will play a schedule of 18 conference games against the other nine schools. The Highlanders became the 10th full member of the America East on July 1, 2020. The Highlanders were predicted to finish eighth out of the 10 league teams in the preseason coaches poll.
New Faces In 2022-23
The NJIT women's basketball team added a trio of high school standouts -- Avery O'Roke (Winchester, VA), Kyleigh Welsh (Clearwater, FL) and Alejandra Zuniga (Madrid, Spain) who are set to join the Highlanders in the Fall of 2022.
Scouting the Opponent
Stony Brook, ranked seventh in last week's College Insider Mid Major Top 25, enters Thursday's contest with a 9-1 overall record with key wins over St. John's, Rutgers, Columbia, Penn and most recently Washington State on December 19. At 9-1, the Seawolves hold the best record entering conference play since the 2019-20 Seawolves started 12-1.
Stony Brook was picked as the preseason favorite in the America East Coaches' Poll. Graduate forward India Pagan and senior guard Anastasia Warren were both tabbed to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Head coach Ashley Langford enters her first season at the helm. Langford was named the 10th head coach in program history on April 28, 2021, after serving as the associate head coach at James Madison.
Next Up
NJIT will open the New Year, making its first road trip in the America East, visiting Maine on January 2 at 1pm.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Women's Basketball season by following @NJITWBB on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
