Game 4	St. Francis Brooklyn (1-2, 17-10 in 2021-22) at NJIT (1-2, 15-15 in 2021-22)
Date | Time	Wednesday, November 16 | 7pm
Location | Arena	Newark, NJ | Wellness and Events Center
Live Video	ESPN+ ($)
Live Stats	In-game stats (free)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | St. Francis Brooklyn Notes

NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT women's basketball team returns back home inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center on Wednesday, welcoming St. Francis Brooklyn in non-conference women's basketball action.

Game Information
Tipoff is slated for 7pm inside the Wellness and Events Center on ESPN+ with in-game statistics available on NJITHighlanders.com.

All-Time Series
NJIT leads the all-time series, 4-3, and has picked up wins in the last four-out-of-five meetings, most recently last season in Brooklyn, 58-53.

Last Time Out
NJIT freshman Alejandra Zuniga netted a career-best 23 points despite dropping a 87-71 road loss at Big Ten opponent Rutgers Sunday afternoon in women's basketball non-conference action inside Jersey Mike's Arena.

Season-High Total Points at Big Ten Rutgers
The 71 points scored at Rutgers on November 13 is a season-best for the Highlanders and the most points scored since last season when the Highlanders defeated UMBC (72-58) on January 12, 2022.  To open the season, NJIT scored 68 points and defeated Rider, 68-60, on November 7.

Freshman from Spain - Alejandra Zuniga
NJIT freshman Alejandra Zuniga netted a career-best 23 points despite dropping a 87-71 road loss at Big Ten opponent Rutgers Sunday.  Zuniga, the Highlanders 5-foot-6 guard, finished the contest, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe in 20 minutes of action off the bench.  The 23 points scored by Zuniga, who hails from Madrid, Spain, are the most points by an NJIT freshman since the 2019-20 season when Kenna Squier scored 21 points vs. Saint Peter's (12.4.19) and Stetson (1.27.20).

Home Opener vs. Lafayette (Nov. 11)
NJIT junior Aria Myers scored a career-high 23 points in the Highlanders home opening loss against visiting Lafayette Friday evening inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center in women's basketball non-conference action.

Myers, a 5-foot-9 guard from Cedar Grove, NJ, set a career-best, netting 23 points on 9-of-16 from the field, 3-of-7 from three-point range and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.  

In addition to Myers' game-best 23 points, Lyzi Litwinko chipped in eight points and three rebounds followed by sophomore Trinity Williams who added seven points, five rebounds and two blocks.

2022 Opening Road Win at Rider
With the 68-60 road victory at Rider on November 7, 2022, marked the first time since 2016-17 NJIT opened up the season 1-0.

Nov. 12, 2016 vs. Wagner | W, 68-45 

Flash Back to 2021-22 Season
NJIT finished the season with a 15-15 overall record.  The 15 wins are the second-highest win total since moving to Division I (2006-07 season). 

The Highlanders, competing in its second season in the America East, were selected eighth in the preseason coaches poll and recorded a program-best nine wins to earn the No. 4 seed in the 2022 America East Conference Playoffs.  

NJIT hosted the first-ever America East Conference quarterfinal game on March 5, registering the program's first America East victory and postseason win (NJIT 47, UMass Lowell 33) in over 10 seasons.

The eight road wins is also a new program-best for the Highlanders.

#ProtectTheWEC
NJIT will play 13 games (five non-conference; eight America East) inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.  

The last time NJIT hit the hardwood inside the WEC was the 2021 America East Conference Quarterfinals on March 5 when Highlanders defeated the River Hawks from UMass Lowell, 47-33, to advance to the America East semifinals for the first time in program history.

The seven wins at home inside the Wellness and Events Center in 2021 are the most wins at home by the Highlanders since the facility opened in 2017-18.

Highlander Co-Captains
The NJIT women's basketball team has selected senior Kenna Squier and junior Lyzi Litwinko to serve as team captains for the 2022-23 season.

Squier, a 5–foot-9 guard from Branchville, NJ, was selected to the America East Conference third team last season.  Squier topped the Highlanders last season in scoring 11.1ppg and steals with 44.  Her 11.1ppg ranked 13th in the America East. She combined for 20 double-digit games, including a career-best 24 points in NJIT's overtime win at Maine on January 2, 2022. Squier finished the season ranked fifth in free throw percentage (.745), seventh in minute played (32.7), eighth in steals (1.5) and 12th in blocked shots (0.7) in the America East.

Litwinko, a two-time America East Conference honoree (Third team in 2021-22; All-Rookie team 2020-21), ranked third on the Highlander squad a season ago, averaging 10.7ppg while leading the team with 7.1rpg.  

The 5-foot-8 guard ranked fourth in the America East in rebounding and recorded three double-doubles, including a new personal-best mark of 22 points at Binghamton on January 22, 2022.  Her 13 rebounds at Binghamton matches her personal-best mark (vs. New Hampshire in 2021). In addition to ranking in the top four in rebounding in the America East, Litwinko ranked sixth in free throw percentage (.732), 13th in minutes played (30.9) and 18th in assists (2.1).

New Kids on the Block .. Full Release
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 joined the Highlanders in the Fall of 2022.

On the Sidelines
Earlier this summer, fifth-year head coach Mike Lane announced the addition of Colleen Moriarty and Payce Lange as Assistant Coaches.  Moriarty and Lange will join fifth-year Assistant Coach Aaron Gratch and Anyssa Sanchez who will begin her third season as Director of Basketball Operations on the sidelines.

America East Conference
NJIT will begin its third season in the America East and will play a schedule of 16 conference games against the other eight schools.  The Highlanders became the 10th full member of the America East on July 1, 2020.

The Highlanders were predicted to finish fourth out of the nine league teams in the preseason coaches poll.  Full Release

Scouting St. Francis Brooklyn
St. Francis Brooklyn comes to NJIT with a 1-2 record, most recently dropping an overtime loss, 72-71 in the final possession against Rider on November 13.  The Terriers and Broncs went back-and-forth for a majority of the fourth quarter and overtime, and a late three by Rider's Makayla Firebaugh with nine seconds remaining proved to be the winner.

Senior Alyssa Fisher is the reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Week, scoring in double figures all three games, including a 24-point performance against Rider Sunday afternoon. For the week, she averaged 16.3 points per game and 3.0 assists per contest. She added 2.3 steals per game.

The only returning starter from the 2021-22 roster, Fisher has emerged as a leader on the floor. She is currently shooting over 50% from the field and over 36% from three-point land.

Teammate Ella Ogier, Native of Melbourne, Australia was named an NEC Prime Performer after a strong first week with the Terriers.  Ogier averaged 12.3 points per game and has a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. The transfer from San Jose State has scored 10 or more points in each game. She added five steals and three blocks to her three-contest stat line.

The lone win on the season for the Terriers came in the season opener against The College of Old Westbury, 81-15, on November 7.

Coming off a second-place finish in 2021-22, St. Francis Brooklyn returns six to the 2022-23 roster and has eight newcomers. The team is looking to build off a 13-3 Northeast Conference record and a two seed in the conference tournament.  

St. Franics Brooklyn women's basketball program was selected third out of nine teams in the 2022 Preseason Northeast Conference Coaches Poll, including one first-place vote.

Next Up
NJIT will wrap up a two-game homestand on Saturday, hosting Central Connecticut State on at 1pm as part of a doubleheader with NJIT men's basketball who will host American in the men's home opener at 4pm.  Both games will be streamed live on ESPN3.

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.