NEWARK, NJ--The NJIT men's basketball team will look to get back into the winning column on Saturday when it travels to New York's Capital Region to take on UAlbany.
Game Information
Tipoff is slated for 4pm at SEFCU Arean in Albany. The game will also be streamed via ESPN3, which is available free of charge.
All-Time Series
Wednesday's matchup is the fifth all-time between the Highlanders and Retreivers, with the three being played in Newark. NJIT won series opener in 2015, defeating UMBC by 15, while each of the other three games UAlbany is the only America East program NJIT has never defeated as the Great Danes have won all eight games in the series. Last season, NJIT's first as a member of the America East, saw UAlbany take both regular season matches and then win a third time in the America East Playoffs.
were within four points or less. The teams split last season's series in Newark, with NJIT winning game one 69-65, and the Retrievers taking game two 75-71.
NJIT vs. the America East
NJIT is 24-35 in America East Conference play. The Highlanders are in their second season as a member of the conference and went 15-23 against AE teams before joining the league in the summer of 2020. Last season, the Highlanders finished 6-10 in AE action.
QUICK HITS
* Saturday's game is the 15th of the 2021-22 season -- which marks NJIT's 16th participating in Division I, second as a member of the America East and fifth in the Wellness & Events Center (WEC).
* NJIT is playing its fifth game in 13 days, following a 21-day layoff after its non-conference finale at Northwestern.
* The Highlanders opened up America East play with three-straight wins. It was their second three-game winning streak of the season and marked the first time the program opened conference play 3-0 since they did so in the Great West in 2012-13.
* Dylan O'Hearn (16.0 ppg; 2nd) and Miles Coleman (15.9 ppg; 3rd) both rank among the top scorers in the America East. Coleman (6.4 rpg) is also sixth on the rebounding leaderboard.
* Coleman's career-high coming into the season was 12; he is passed that mark nine times this season, with four games of 20+, including his new career-high of 30 at UML.
* O'Hearn scored a D1 program-record 42 points in a 2OT win at Lafayette on 12/5. Thirty-six of those points came after halftime and he scored all 15 of NJIT's points after regulation.
* While, O'Hearn was the hero of that win, plenty of other Highlanders deserve credit. Antwuan "Booty" Butler calmly drained two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to tie the game and force OT. Kjell de Graff and Mekhi Gray both played 35+ minutes for season-highs and were +22 and +21 respectively.
* O'Hearn's 42 points at Lafayette were the third most scored by a Division I player this season. James Lee's seven steals at St. John's tied for the third most by a Division I player this season.
* The Great Danes are the only America East team NJIT has never defeated.
BACK TO BACK
Miles Coming earned his second-straight America East Player of the Week honor this week, following a pair of quality performances in NJIT's 2-0 week. The senior began the week with a career-high 30 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists in a win at UMass Lowell and followed it up with a 19-point, five-rebound performance in Saturday's win at Binghamton.
O'Hearn's Big Day
Senior Dylan O'Hearn erupted for a new Division I program-record 42 points on Sunday, December 5, as NJIT came back from a late, double-digit deficit to win in 2OT. O'Hearn scored 36 of his points at halftime and tallied all 15 of NJIT's points after regulation. The Windsor, ON, native's 42-point game is tied for the second-highest scoring effort in Division I this season as Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis narrowly has the first place spot with a 43-point game. O'Hearn was named the CollegeInsider.Com Lou Henson National Player of the Week (Top mid-major player) and America East Player of the Week.
#ProtectTheWEC
NJIT is in its fifth campaign in the state-of-the-art Wellness and Events Center (WEC) . In four-plus seasons playing in the WEC, the Highlanders are 33-27 in this three story, 220,000-square-foot building that features a 3,500-seat basketball arena and a take a three-game home winning streak into Friday's matchup with Army West Point.
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.
Next Up
The Highlanders will hit return to Newark for a pair of America East contests at the Wellness and Events Center. NJIT will take on Vermont Wednesday at 7pm, before wrapping up the week hosting Binghamton, also at 7pm.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Men's Basketball season by following @NJITHoops on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Basketball page on Facebook.
