NEWARK, NJ– The NJIT men's basketball team wraps up a three-game homestand on Saturday when it welcomes UAlbany to the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center for both teams America East Conference openers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2pm.

The game will streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Provence (play-by-play) and Barry "Slice" Rohrssen (analyst) on the call. 

All-Time Series
NJIT is 1-11 all-time against the Great Danes, with the lone victory coming in a 74-67 victory on January 14, 2023 in Newark. Kevin Osawe led the Highlanders in that one, scoring a team-high 18 points off the bench to go along with eight rebounds. 

Last Time Out: NJIT 69, Morgan State 53 | Sun. 12/31 in Newark, NJ
The NJIT men's basketball team started its New Year's celebration early with a Block Party at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Sunday afternoon, blocking 14 shots en route to a 69-53 victory in its non-conference finale vs. Morgan State.

Veteran big man Kjell de Graaf swatted away a career-high seven shots as the Highlanders led wire-to-wire, scoring the first 16 points of the game to build a comfortable lead early. 

Morgan State battled back after the early NJIT run and cut the deficit to as little as three late in the first half, before the Highlanders answered late and took a 38-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

NJIT punched first in the second half getting a pair of early three-pointers from Adam Hess and Tariq Francis to go ahead by 14 and extended the lead to 15 twice before another run from the Bears made the margin eight, 54-46 with 9:31 to play.

That was as close as Morgan State was able to get. NJIT answered with back-to-back buckets from Elijah Buchanan and Mekhi Gray to make the lead 12 and led by double-digits the rest of the way before ultimately winning the game by a 16-point margin.

de Graaf was one of four Highlanders to score in double figures, tallying 15 points and grabbing seven boards to go along with his seven blocked shots. Gray also stuffed the stat sheet for NJIT, scoring 13 points, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds and sending back five shots of his own. The double-double was the first of the senior's career. 

Buchanan barely missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hess chipped in with nine points, while Francis, the two-time reigning America East Rookie of the Week added eight to go along with three rebounds and three assists. 

NJIT's win was its second in a row, marking the first time the Highlanders won back-to-back games this season.

ROOKIE(S) OF THE WEEK:
NJIT freshmen Sebastian Robinson and Tariq Francis are leading the America East Rookie of the Year race as the duo has combined for five of the eight ROW's announced this season. Robinson earned the honors in weeks two, three and four, while Francis took home two, in weeks six and seven. 

Highlander Highlights
*    Saturday's game is the 13th of the 2023-24 season -- which marks NJIT's 18th participating in Division I, fourth as a member of the America East and seventh in the WEC.
*    NJIT's roster makeup is rather unique with nine freshmen, one junior, one senior, and five post-graduate players, including four in their sixth collegiate season
*    The Highlanders are coming off a season-high three game road swing and Saturday's game is the last of a three-game homestand. NJIT will play six of eight at home from Dec. 22-Jan 25.
*    Kjell de Graaf is the most tenured Highlander as he is now in his sixth season with the program and played in his 100th game on Dec. 9 at Wake Forest.
*     NJIT's 14 blocks last time out vs. Morgan St. were its most in 17+ years as a D1 Program. The total is tied for the second most this season by a team in  D1 vs. D1 game. Kjell de Graaf led NJIT with a career-high seven blocks, the most by an America East player since UML's Max Brooks had 10 on Jan. 12, 2022. Mekhi Gray had a career-high five blocks, as well. 
*     The Highlanders turned the ball over just three times on 12/16 at Niagara. That number is its lowest mark in 17+ seasons competing in Division I.  
*    Adam Hess leads the conference in 3FG% (44.4). Hess led the Conference in 3FG% last season, too (43.4%).
*    Elijah Buchanan is averaging 16.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg over his last six games played.
*    Sebastian Robinson (three) and Tariq Francis (two) have combined for five of the eight America East Rookie of the Week Awards this season.
*    NJIT is just 1-11 all-time vs. UAlbany with the lone victory coming last January in Newark.
*    Kjell de Graaf (12 pts, 11 rbs vs. Medgar Evers and Mekhi Gray (13 pts, 10 rbs vs. Morgan St.) each recorded their first-career double-doubles over the last two games. 

Next Up
The Highlanders return to the road this week for a pair of America East Conference games. NJIT will take on UMass Lowell on Thursday at 6:30pm, before making the trip to Vermont for a 2pm start on Saturday.

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