NEWARK, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team looks to complete the season sweep of UMBC on Wednesday.

Game Information
Tip-off is slated for 7pm inside the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.

Highlander Highlights
*    Wednesday's game is the 23rd 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.
*    NJIT is 3-6 in America East action and five of the nine games have come down to the final possesion of regulation. Three games needed an overtime period to decide the winner. 
*    One of those close games was played two weeks ago in Newark, as NJIT held off UMBC 69-65 thanks to a late driving layup from Mekhi Gray and a pair of clutch free throws from Adam Hess.
*    Da'mir Faison has seen his playing time increase since Miles Coleman was injured at Bryant. Faison is averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg over his last three and his layup with 11 seconds to go against New Hampshire last Wednesday sent the game to overtime. 
*    Kevin Osawe leads NJIT with six double-double this season, which ranks tied for fourth this season in the America East.
*    Wednesday's game at UMBC will be Souleymane Diakite's 113th game played as a Highlander. 
*    Raheim Sullivan scored 23 points to lead NJIT at Vermont. That mark ties his NCAA career-high which he established last season at Marist against American.
*    Adam Hess leads the America East in 3FG%, knocking down 43.8% this season (42-for-96).
*    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.

Last Time Out: UML 91, NJIT 60 | Sat. 2/4 in Lowell, MA
The NJIT men's basketball team was defeated 90-61 by host UMass Lowell in America East Conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center. 

Souleymane DIakite opened up the scoring, while Adam Hess and Mekhi Gray followed with buckets of their own to put the Highlanders ahead 6-0, but it was all UMass Lowell after that.

The Riverhawks answered the 6-0 run with 11-straight points before a 12-0 run later in the half gave the hosts 28-13 advantage to break the game open.

A UMass Lowell free throw seconds before half time made the score 41-25 as the teams headed to their locker rooms for the break.

In the second half, the River Hawks had another double-digit scoring run, this time 13-0, to put the game out of reach.

UML extended its lead to a game-high 33 late in the half, before ultimately winning by the 31-point margin.

NJIT vs...UMBC
NJIT and UMBC will meet for the eighth time on Wednesday, with the Highlanders holding a 4-3 advantage in the series. NJIT defeated UMBC 69-65 just two weeks ago in Newark as Mekhi Gray's driving layup with 3.7 seconds left gave the Highlaners a 67-65 lead, before Adam Hess drained a pair of free throws to clinch the win. The Retrievers swept NJIT last season and have won three of five since the Highlanders joined the America East prior to the 2020-21 season.

NJIT vs. the America East
The Highlanders are 30-53 all-time vs. America East foes. NJIT is 15-28 in conference play as a member of the America East. 

Like Fine Wine
NJIT will feature one of the oldest rosters in the country this season as the team's average age on opening night is 22.7 years old. Kevin Osawe and Adam Hess both turned 24 prior to the season, while Souleymane Diakite, Kjell de Graaf, Justin Anderson, Raheim Sullivan, and Miles Coleman are all 23.

AE Players of the Week
12/19/22 - Kevin Osawe
1/9/23 - Miles Coleman

Up Next
The Highlanders return home on Saturday to host Maine at 4pm in the Wellness and Events Center in Newark.

​​Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Men's Basketball season by following @NJITMBB on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Basketball page on Facebook.