Game 17	NJIT Highlanders (3-13, 0-0 America East) at UMass Lowell River Hawks (12-5, 1-1 America East
Date & Time	Saturday, Jan. 11 | 1 p.m.
Location	Costello Athletic Center | Lowell, Mass.
Live Video	ESPN+
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | UML Notes
Follow	X/Twitter | Instagram | Live Stats

NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team hits the road for the first time in America East play on Saturday as it travels to UMass Lowell to face the River Hawks. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

Last Time Out
Sebastian Robinson scored a team-best 22 points but the Highlanders were unable to overcome a strong second half from UMBC in a defeat, 87-64, in NJIT's America East opener on Thursday night. NJIT got off to a hot start, growing a healthy lead in the early going. After Fulton tapped back his own miss to extend the lead to seven, Moore and Robinson connected on back-to-back jumpers to push NJIT's lead to 11, 20-9.

UMBC put forth a strong second half, quickly trimming the Highlander lead down to one just two minutes into the frame. After the Retrievers took the lead at the 16:48 mark on a three-pointer, Quentin Duncan responded with a triple of his own to tie things back up, 45-45. However, UMBC's offense was too much to handle as it shot 64 percent in the second half en route to the win.

NJIT vs. UMass Lowell: All-Time Series
NJIT and UMass Lowell have split their 18 all-time meetings, each side holding nine wins apiece. The season series last season was also split, with both teams winning on their respective home floors. The last matchup went the way of the Highlanders on Feb. 10, 2024, with Tariq Francis scoring 26 points en route to a 71-64 victory.

Highlander Highlights

• The Highlanders couldn't hold on to an early 11-point lead in Thursday's conference opening loss to UMBC, 87-64.
• Sebastian Robinson led NJIT with 22 points on the night, his fourth straight game in double figures.
• Robinson is averaging 16.0 pts, 5.8 ast and 4.3 reb over his last four games.
• Quentin Duncan starred for the Highlanders in his first college game last Saturday against Medgar Evers, scoring 26 points and nailing eight 3-pointers en route to being named America East Rookie of the Week.
• Duncan's eight made three-pointers are the most made by an America East player in a game so far this season.
• Sebastian Robinson set NJIT's D-1 era program record for assists in a single game, dishing out 15 dimes in the win over Medgar Evers.
• Six different Highlanders scored in double figures in Saturday's win, with three of them recording double-doubles: Ari Fulton, Tim Moore Jr. and Sebastian Robinson.
• Moore has begun to hit his stride, averaging 14.2 pts, 6.7 reb, 2.0 blks and shooting 57% from the field over his last six games.
• Moore 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.
• UMass Lowell has split its first two conference games, most recently falling to Vermont, 67-63, on Thursday night at home.
• Tariq Francis leads the America East in scoring average on the season at 18.6 ppg.
• NJIT leads the America East in three-point defense (.300) and is second in blocks (4.8).
• Francis and Robinson have scored 20 points in the same game on two occasions this season, doing so against Penn (Nov. 4) and again in the win over Morehead State (Nov. 27).
• 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 return home for a pair of games next week, starting with a matchup against Maine on Thursday morning at 11 a.m.

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