Game 14	NJIT Highlanders (2-11, 0-0 America East) at Washington Huskies (8-4, 0-2 Big Ten)
Date & Time	Sunday, Dec. 29 | 3 p.m.
Location	Alaska Airlines Arena | Seattle, Wash.
Live Video	Peacock (Terry Gannon & Eldridge Recanser)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | WASH Notes
Follow	X/Twitter | Instagram | Live Stats

NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team returns from the holiday break with a west coast trip to Seattle, Wash. to face Washington. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon on Peacock.

Last Time Out
The Highlanders fell at home to Wagner, 50-43, back on Dec. 14. Sebastian Robinson led the Highlanders in scoring with 14 points, while Tim Moore Jr. recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Trailing by eight midway through the half, a three from Tariq Francis and a layup from Robinson pulled the Highlanders to within three, 35-32, and prompted a Seahawks timeout. Wagner scored on a layup out of the stoppage to go back up by five, but a corner three from Jordan Rogers inched NJIT back within two with 7:05 to play. That was as close as the Highlanders would get down the stretch, as a 7-0 Wagner run pushed its lead to nine and aided them towards the victory.

NJIT vs. Washington: All-Time Series
This will be the second ever meeting between NJIT and Washington. The schools met early in the 2007-08 season, with the Huskies claiming an 88-47 win. The Highlanders are 1-7 all-time against Big Ten schools, with the lone win coming against Michigan back on Dec. 6, 2014.

Highlander Highlights

• The Highlanders look to bounce back from a 50-43 defeat against Wagner at home back on Dec. 14.
• Sebastian Robinson led NJIT in scoring against the Seahawks, scoring all 14 of his points after halftime.
• Despite the defeat, NJIT's defense was strong against Wagner, holding the Seahawks to just 28.7% from the floor.
• Tim Moore Jr. had his best game as a Highlander at Delaware State on Dec. 11, scoring a team-best 20 points while adding seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
• Washington and NJIT will meet for the second time ever, with the first meeting going the way of the Huskies in an 88-47 final back on Nov. 13, 2007.
• This will be NJIT's first meeting against a Big Ten school since the 2021-22 season, when the Highlanders traveled to both Rutgers and Northwestern.
• NJIT picked up its second victory of the season back on Dec. 7, defeating Navy 69-64.
• Tariq Francis led the Highlanders with 23 points, overcoming a slow start to put up 17 points in the second half.
• Francis has surpassed the 20-point plateau in five of his last seven contests.
• NJIT ranks 41st in the nation in free throw percentage (76.6%) and also ranks just outside the top-50 in the nation in blocks per game (4.6, 51st)
• Francis and Robinson have scored 20 points in the same game on two occasions this season, making NJIT one of two America East teams to have multiple games with two 20+ point scorers so far this season (Bryant).
• NJIT boasts a young roster, with 12 of its 14 members (86%) being either freshmen or sophomores, ranking the Highlanders fourth in the nation in that category.
• Only three players on NJIT's active roster entered this season with previous Division I experience (Francis, Lawal, Robinson).

Next Up
The Highlanders will return to the east coast to prepare for their non-conference finale on Saturday at home against Medgar Evers.

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