NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball team kicks off its America East slate at home on Thursday night as it hosts UMBC at 7 p.m. inside the WEC. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Matt Provence and Barry "Slice" Rohrssen on the call.
Last Time Out
Sebastian Robinson flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds and
Quentin Duncan dropped 26 points in his collegiate debut as the NJIT men's basketball team defeated Medgar Evers, 107-51, on Saturday afternoon. Robinson dished out 15 assists in the victory, setting NJIT's single-game assists record in the Division I era. The 15 assists surpass the previous D1 record which was set by Ky Howard, who had 11 helpers at Villanova back on Dec. 23, 2014.
Duncan shot 9-of-18 from the floor in the first game of his college career. Fulton and
Tim Moore Jr., each finished with double-doubles on the day. Fulton tallied a season-best 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Moore finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
John Kelly and
Malachi Arrington each cracked double figures for the first time this season, scoring 10 points apiece.
NJIT vs. UMBC: All-Time Series
The Highlanders and Retrievers have split their all-time series, 5-5, entering play on Thursday night. However, UMBC owns a 5-3 mark against NJIT since becoming conference opponents in 2020. The two sides split their meetings last year, with NJIT's winning coming in dramatic fashion. The Highlanders erased a 22-point comeback to defeat the Retrievers, 75-74, in NJIT's largest ever comeback win.
Highlander Highlights
- This marks the fourth straight season in which NJIT will open America East play at home.
- The Highlanders are seeking their first conference opening win since defeating Maine, 69-66, during the 2021-22 season.
- NJIT will play three of its first four America East games at home.
- NJIT closed out non-conference action on Saturday with a 107-51 victory over Medgar Evers.
- Quentin Duncan starred for the Highlanders in his first college game, 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 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 at the end of non-conference play, averaging 14.4 pts, 7.0 reb, 2.0 blks and shooting 58% from the field over his last five 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.
- UMBC enters play having lost its America East opener at Binghamton on Saturday, 87-82.
- Three Retrievers average double figures, led by Bryce Johnson's 16.2 points per contest.
- Tariq Francis leads the America East in scoring average on the season at 18.6 ppg.
- NJIT ranks 37th in the nation in blocks per game (4.9) and just outside the top-50 in three-point defense (52nd; .296).
- 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 hit the road to take on UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
Stay up to date on all things NJIT Men's Basketball throughout the season by following @NJITHoops on X/Twitter and Instagram.
