NEWARK, NJ– The NJIT men's basketball team will look to make it two in a row on Thursday when it heads south for a matchup with South Florida in the Sunshine State.

Game Information
Tip-off is slated for 7pm inside the Yuengling Center on the campus of USF. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with Ryan Urquhart and Sean Salisbury on the call. 

Last Time Out: NJIT 62, Niagara 53 | Sun. 12/18 in Newark, NJ
Kevin Osawe posted his second double-double of the season as the NJIT men's basketball team held off visiting Niagara 62-53 on Sunday afternoon at the Wellness and Events Center.

Osawe came off the bench to score a season-high 16 points and tied his season-high with 13 rebounds as the Highlanders held the Purple Eagles to just 53 points on  39.3% shooting from the field and 6.3% from deep.

"It's been so fun to coach this group all season, they haven't given up for a second," explained seventh-year Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "We picked up the pace in practice this week and I thought it showed out there today."

NJIT also won the battle on the boards for the first time this season, out-rebounding Niagara 40-31.

NJIT vs...USF
Thursday's matchup between the Highlanders and Bulls is the second all-time, with NJIT taking the first back on 11/16/2015. NJIT's all-time leading scorer, Damon Lynn, led the Highlanders to victory with a 27-point performance that included a three-pointer with 48 seconds left that put NJIT in front for good. Head Coach Brian Kennedy was an assistant coach on that team and took over the program the next season when Jim Engles left to take the Columbia job. 

NJIT vs. the AAC
NJIT is 1-7 vs. opponents from the American Athletic Conference, with the lone win being the previous matchup at USF. Earlier this season, the Highlanders played at Cincinnati, falling 86-60 to the Bearcats.

Kevin Osawe - AE Player of the Week
Kevin Osawe was honored for his 16-point, 13-rebound performance in Sunday's victory over Niagara. Osawe is the first Highlander to recieve a weekly award this season.

Highlander Highlights
*   Thursday's game is the 11th of the 2022-23 season -- which marks NJIT's 17th participating in Division I, third as a member of the America East and sixth in the Wellness & Events Center (WEC).
*    The Highlanders are coming off their second victory of the season, a 62-53 home win over Niagara. Kevin Osawe came off the bench to post his second double-double of the season and was named America East Player of the Week following his 16-point, 13-rebound performance.
*    Miles Coleman poured in a career-high 33 points in NJIT's win at Sacred Heart. It was Coleman's third-straight game with 23 or more points and the 10th time in 43 career games he has scored at least 20.
*    The 85 points at Sacred Heart were the most by an NJIT team in regulation since it scored 90 vs. Wagner on Nov. 16, 2019. The Highlanders scored 90 last season in a 2OT W at Lafayette.
*    Adam Hess has started the last five games and nailed three three-pointers in four of those games. The sharpshooter is shooting 41.7% from deep and averaging 10.2 ppg over his last seven games.
*    Souleymane Diakite played in his 100th career game at Army West Point. He and and Kjell de Graaf are both in their fifth seasons with the Highlanders. Da'mir Faison is the next most-tenured Highlander as he is in his fourth season with the program. 
*    Six of NJIT's 14 players have completed their undergraduate degrees and are working towards their Master's. Souleymane Diakite and Kjell de Graaf graduated from NJIT last May, while Justin Anderson (Bloomsburg), Adam Hess (E. New Mexico St.), Kevin Osawe (Arkansas-Little Rock), and Raheim Sullivan (Marist) come to NJIT from other institutions.
*    Five NJIT players are averaging 7+ ppg, no Highlander has started all 11 games this season.

Up Next
The Highlanders wrap up non-conference action on Tuesday when they host Saint Elizabeth at the Wellness and Events Center. Tip-off is slated for 7pm.

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