Game 6	NJIT (3-2, 15-15 in 2021-22) at LIU (2-2, 9-18 in 2021-22)
Date | Time	Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | 7pm
Location | Arena	Brooklyn, NY | Steinberg Wellness Center
Live Video	NEC Front Row (Free)
Live Stats	In-game stats (free)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | LIU Notes

NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT women's basketball team will hit the road for a two game road swing, visiting LIU on Tuesday, November 22 before a short break before the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Game Information
Tipoff is slated for 7pm inside the Steinberg Wellness Center with in-game statistics available on LIUAtheltics.com.

All-Time Series
NJIT leads the all-time series, 6-3.  Last season, NJIT picked up a 59-53 overtime victory against LIU.

Last Time Out
Kenna Squier and Trinity Williams registered double-doubles as five Highlanders scored in double figures in NJIT's 71-65 overtime victory over visiting Central Connecticut State Saturday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.

The win for the Highlanders was the second straight win of the season, moving to 3-2 on the young season and 2-1 inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.  CCSU, still in search of its first win of the season falls to 0-3.

NJIT's Williams sent the game into overtime, converting a driving layup out of the Highlander timeout with 1.4 seconds left as NJIT outscored CCSU 11-5 to secure the home victory.

Two Straight for the Highlanders
The last time NJIT won two straight dates back to last season when the Highlanders won back-to-back games against New Hampshire (Feb. 9) and Hartford (Feb. 12).

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
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.

NJIT Leaders
Scoring: Aria Myers - 14.0ppg
Rebounding: Lyzi Litwinko - 4.8rpg
Assists: Lyzi Litwinko (9)
Blocks:Trinity Williams (9)
FT%: Kenna Squier - 77.3%
FG%: Trinity Williams - 65.5%

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.  

Scouting LIU Sharks
LIU enters Tuesday's contest with a 2-2 mark, most recently dropping an 85-63 decision at Syracuse.  The Sharks picked up wins against Ohio U (74-67) and Harford (70-54).

Sophomore Emaia O'Brien, the 2021-22 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, was named to the Preseason All-NEC team.  Last season she averaged 9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  In the preseason poll, the Sharks were tabbed seventh among nine teams.

The Sharks are led by two double-figure scorers in O'Brien (14.3ppg) and Ashley Austin (10.5ppg).  On the glass, Iris Mbulito paces the squad, averaging 8.0rpg.  O'Brien has scored in double-digits in three out of four games with a season-best 19 at Ohio U and most recently netted 18 points at Syracuse in 31 minutes of action.

Next Up
NJIT will wrap up its two-game road trip on Sunday, November 27 at 3pm when the Highlanders travel down the parkway and visit Monmouth inside OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, NJ.