NEWARK, NJ – Coming off an emphatic victory on its home court, the NJIT men's basketball team looks to make it two straight wins when it hosts first-place Bryant on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
On the night he notched his 1,000th career point, graduate student
Tim Moore Jr. finished with 24 points and a career-best 15 rebounds as the NJIT men's basketball team posted a dominant performance in an 83-62 win over UMass Lowell on Thursday night. Moore scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, and was joined by
Tariq Francis' 21 points as the two Highlanders to surpass the 20-point mark.
Sebastian Robinson poured in 15 points along with seven assists, while
Ari Fulton pitched in 12 points in 39 minutes of action.
The River Hawks tried to thwart the NJIT momentum, succeeding for one stretch when they cut the deficit down to five at the 15:50 mark. However, the momentum swung right back to the Highlander sideline, as the home side ripped off a 10-0 run to stretch the lead to 15, 58-43. UMass Lowell did all it could to try and cut back into the NJIT lead, but the Highlanders had a counter for every punch the visitors threw. The biggest haymaker came courtesy of Moore, who crashed the glass after a missed three-pointer for the biggest highlight of the night.
The Rim Reaper
One of just two graduate students on the roster,
Tim Moore Jr. has found his stride midway through his lone season in University Heights. The transfer from Benedict College is averaging 11.6 points and shooting 51 percent overall on the season, but his play of late has certainly impressed. The Houston native is averaging 13.9 pts, 8.5 reb, 53.8% FG over his last 11 games. That stretch also includes four double-doubles, as well as his monster performance with 24 points and 15 rebounds against UMass Lowell.
NJIT vs. Bryant: All-Time Series
NJIT and Bryant have only been conference foes for three seasons, with the Bulldogs taking all four meetings. All-time, Bryant holds a 7-1 mark over the Highlanders, with NJIT's lone win coming back on Jan. 21, 2009 in a 61-51 final.
Highlander Highlights
- NJIT is coming off a dominant performance on Thursday night, trouncing UMass Lowell, 83-62, inside the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
- The 21-point win marks NJIT's largest margin of victory in an America East game since joining the conference before the 2020-21 season.
- Tim Moore Jr. had a career night, finishing with 24 points, including his 1000th career point, as well as a career-high 15 rebounds.
- Moore was one of four Highlanders to surpass double figures, joining Tariq Francis with 21 points, Sebastian Robinson with 15 points and Ari Fulton with 12 points.
- Francis and Moore became the second NJIT duo to scored 20+ points in the same game this season. Francis and Sebastian Robinson have also done so three previous times.
- Robinson finished with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds at Vermont last Thursday, the first NJIT player in its Division I era (since 2006) to post such a stat line.
- Francis starred in the win for the Highlanders, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.
- Robinson stepped up his offensive production during Francis' absence, averaging 17.8 pts and 6.8 ast during Francis' four-game absence.
- Ari Fulton was named America East Rookie of the Week on Jan. 20 after averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and 11.0 rebounds during NJIT's 1-1 week.
- Since entering the starting lineup back on Dec. 1, Fulton is averaging 7.7 pts and 6.7 reb.
- 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.
- Tariq Francis leads the America East in scoring average on the season at 18.9 ppg.
- NJIT is 29th in the nation and first in America East in three-point defense (.296) and is third in the conference blocks (4.2).
- 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 hit the road next week for a pair of games, starting with a matchup at Maine on Thursday 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.
