Game 5	Central Connecticut State (0-2, 6-20 in 2021-22) at NJIT (2-2, 15-15 in 2021-22)
Date | Time	Saturday, November 19, 2022 | 1pm
Location | Arena	Newark, NJ | Wellness and Events Center
Live Video	ESPN3 | Michael Ventola (PxP), Dave Popkin (Color)
Live Stats	In-game stats (free)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | CCSU Notes

NEWARK, NJ–NJIT will wrap up a two-game homestand on Saturday, hosting Central Connecticut State at 1pm as part of a doubleheader with NJIT men's basketball who will host American in the men's home opener at 4pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.  

Game Information
Tipoff is slated for 1pm inside the Wellness and Events Center on ESPN3 with in-game statistics available on NJITHighlanders.com.

All-Time Series
NJIT leads the all-time series, 1-0.  The first meeting between the two schools was last season on November 21, 2022 in New Britain, CT.  NJIT came out on top 67-63, behind four Highlanders reaching double-figures.  Redshirt senior Kimi Evans led the way scoring a team-best 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field while pulling down seven rebounds.  Fifth-year Ellyn Stoll and sophomore Lyzi Litwinko each chipped in 11 points followed by junior Kenna Squier with 10 points.  Junior forward Maria Fux added nine points and six rebounds.

Last Time Out
Three Highlanders scored in double-digits paced by a team-best 12 points and career-high nine rebounds from rising junior Aria Myers as NJIT picked up a 56-49 win over visiting St. Francis Brooklyn inside the Wellness and Events Center Wednesday evening in women's basketball non-conference action.

With the win on Wednesday, NJIT moves to .500 on the young season (2-2) and picks up its first win of the season at home inside the Wellness and Events Center. 

Myers, who scored a career-best in the home opener on November 11 against Lafayette, has scored in double-figures through four games thus far this season.  This evening, she finished 4-for-8 from three-point range, pulling down nine rebounds which set a new personal best for the guard from Cedar Grove, NJ.

Sophomore forward Trinity Williams filled up the box score on Wednesday, chipping in 11 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out three assists and recording a season-best three blocks (one-shy of her personal-best mark; 4 at UMBC, 1.12.22).

Junior guard Lyzi Litwinko added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and freshman Alejandra Zuniga, who is coming off a career-best performance at Rutgers on Sunday (23 points), netted nine points and added five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench for NJIT.

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).

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 Central Connecticut State
CCSU enters Saturday's contest with a 0-2 overall mark on the young season.  The Blue Devils, on a three-game road trip, opened up the season at UMass, falling (72-57) and most recently Quinnipiac (72-54) on November 12.

CCSU which has not played in over a week is paced by Dejah Jenkins the lone Blue Devil double-figure scorer with 14.0ppg and 7.0rpg.

The Blue Devils, which finished the season 6-20 a season ago, were tabbed as the eighth team in the Northeast Conference Preseason poll out of nine teams and Forever Toppin was named to the Preseason All-NEC Team. 

​​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.