Game 6	NJIT Highlanders (0-5, 0-0 America East) at Bucknell Bison (3-2, 0-0 Patriot League)
Date | Time	Thursday, November 21 | 7 p.m.
Location	Sojka Pavilion | Lewisburg, Pa.
Live Video	ESPN + (Doug Birdsong & Terry Conrad)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | BUCK Notes
Follow	X/Twitter | Instagram | Live Stats

NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team heads back out on the road on Thursday night as it travels to Lewisburg, Pa. to face Bucknell at 7 p.m. inside Sojka Pavilion. The game can be seen live on ESPN+.

Highlanders Hit the Road
After playing two of its first three games at home inside the Wellness and Events Center, NJIT is in the midst of a seven-game road swing. Last weekend featured two matchups with teams from the DMV in Morgan State and George Washington, followed by a trip to Bucknell on Thursday, Nov. 21. Following that, the Highlanders will head to Cleveland to take part in the Cleveland State Thanksgiving Throwback, where they will face the host Vikings on Tuesday, Nov. 26 and a neutral site game against Morehead State on Nov. 27.
After returning to the east coast, NJIT will head up to face UMass on Dec. 1 before wrapping up the road swing with a quick trip to Prudential Center to face Seton Hall on Dec. 4. The seven straight games away from home is the longest such stretch in NJIT's Division I history.

NJIT vs. Bucknell: All-Time Series
This will be the second ever meeting between the Highlanders and the Bison. The first came inside the WEC on Dec. 3, 2022, when Bucknell left Newark with a 79-63 victory.
Outside of conferences NJIT has been a member of, the Highlanders have played more games against Patriot League schools than any other league. NJIT has matched up against a Patriot League school in all but one season since becoming a D1 member in 2006, with the lone exception being the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season. NJIT is 16-32 all-time against Patriot League schools, most recently falling at home to Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 12.
Highlander Highlights

• Tariq Francis finished one assist shy of his first career double-double on Monday at George Washington, ending up with 20 points and nine assists.
• Francis is averaging 19 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds over his last two games.
• Francis' 17.4 points per game this season rank third in the America East.
• Jake Goldberg nailed a career-high four 3-pointers at George Washington on Monday.
• Francis and Robinson each scored 20 points in the season opener against Penn, becoming the first Highlander teammates to score 20+ points in a game since Francis and Elijah Buchanan did so in the win over UMass Lowell on Feb. 10, 2024.
• Robinson had the best all-around game of his young career against Penn, scoring 20 points and snatching a career-best nine rebounds while committing just one turnover.
• NJIT is the lone America East team to have two players score 20+ points in a game so far.
• Grant Billmeier enters his second season as Head Coach of the Highlanders after going 7-21 overall and 3-13 in America East in his first season in University Heights.
• In terms of percentage of underclassmen on the roster, the Highlanders are the second-youngest team in the nation. Of NJIT's 15 players, 13 of them are either freshmen or sophomores.
• Six players return to Newark for their sophomore seasons in 2024-25, led by reigning-America East Rookie of the Year Tariq Francis. All-Rookie honoree Levi Lawal enters his second season as well, alongside Jeffrey Akintolu, Jake Goldberg, Cameron Piggee and Sebastian Robinson.
• Seven freshmen join NJIT's roster in 2024: Walt Andrews Jr., Malachi Arrington, Quentin Duncan, Ari Fulton, Stefan Jimenez-Vojnic, John Kelly and Jordan Rogers.
• NJIT faces a difficult schedule in 2024-25 which includes three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, three power conference teams and two NIT qualifiers, including NIT champions Seton Hall.

Next Up
The Highlanders head to Cleveland, Ohio next week to take part in the Cleveland State Thanksgiving Throwback, starting with a matchup against the Vikings on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Stay up to date on all things NJIT Men's Basketball throughout the season by following @NJITHoops on X/Twitter and Instagram.