NEWARK, NJ–NJIT will open the New Year, making its first road trip in America East Conference action on Sunday, January 2 at Maine.
Game Information
Tip-off is slated for 1pm inside Cross Insurance Center and for those not able to attend the game can watch via ESPN+ with in-game statistics available on GoBlackBears.com.
All-Time Series
Sunday will mark the fifth meeting all-time between Maine and NJIT. The all-time series is tied at 2-2.
1/10/21 | Maine 74, NJIT 51
1/9/21 | Maine 77, NJIT 60
11/21/09 | NJIT 63, Maine 50
11/29/08 | NJIT 68, Maine 60 - 2008 Dead River Company Classic
Six Wins for the Highlanders
The six wins for the Highlanders are the most since the 2018-19 season, when NJIT finished 6-24.
12/30/21 - NJIT 54, Stony Brook 49
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
2021 Rewind
The NJIT women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season and it was a big one, recording its first Big Ten program win with a 61-49 victory at Wisconsin on November 14, 2021.
The win over Wisconsin started a three-game win streak for the Highlanders (ast time the Highlanders won three straight was in 2019-20 during a stretch of a pair of wins at home against St. Francis Brooklyn (Nov. 26, 2019) and Saint Peter's (Dec. 4, 2019) and on the road at Hartford (Dec. 7, 2019).
With a win at St. Francis Brooklyn on December 11, NJIT closed out the non-conference slate with a 5-6 overall record.
NJIT closed out 2021 with a bang, knocking off preseason favorite and defending America East Champions Stony Brook on December 30, 54-49, at home inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center. It was the first time NJIT defeated the Seawolves in five meetings.
NJIT Knocks off Preseason Favorite and Defending America East Champions Stony Brook in America East Opener
The NJIT women's basketball team closed out 2021 with a win, holding off defending America East Champions Stony Brook, en route to a 54-49 home victory to open league action inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center Thursday afternoon.
NJIT, which knocked off Stony Brook, who was ranked No. 7 in the latest CollegeInside.com Mid Major Top 25 poll, recorded its sixth win of the season (the most wins since the 2018-19 season).
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.
Maine, which has advanced to six-straight America East title games, was selected second in the America East Preseason Coaches Poll. The Black Bears have captured the America East regular season crown in three of the last four seasons
Highlander Hits
NJIT enters the weekend on a two-game win streak after opening America East action with a 54-49 victory over the defending America East champions, and pre-season favorite, Stony Brook.
Kenna Squier led the way for NJIT with 11 points while freshman Trinity Williams came off the bench to add 10 in just 13 minutes. Sophomore point guard Lyzi Litwinko added eight points and nine rebounds.
Squier leads NJIT in scoring at 11.0 points per game while Litwinko joins Squier in double-figures at 10.7 while adding a team-high 6.3 rebounds.
Ellyn Stoll, averaging 9.5 points per game, is NJIT's three-point threat as she ranked fifth in the league with 1.7 makes from beyond the arc per game.
NJIT ranks fifth in the America East in both scoring (58.8) and scoring defense (61.8) and leads the America East at 3.9 blocks per game.
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.
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 19 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.
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
Maine will open America East Conference action at home inside Cross Insurance Center after earning a thrilling win at Vermont. The Black Bears outscored Vermont 18-8 in the fourth quarter, including ending the game on a 15-1 run, to earn a 64-58 victory over the Catamounts.
Anne Simon, who has notched double-figures in 10 of her 11 outings this season, leads Maine's scoring attack as she ranks second in the America East at 16.0 points per game. Simon, who also leads the league in steals (2.6), has notched at least one takeaway in nine of Maine's 11 games while tallying a career-high six steals twice.
Next Up
NJIT will return back to Newark and host UMass Lowell in a midweek America East Conference game on January 5, 2022. Tip-off is slated for 7pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
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.
