Game 24	NJIT Highlanders (5-18, 2-6 America East) at Maine Black Bears (14-9, 6-2 America East)
Date & Time	Thursday, Feb. 6 | 6 p.m.
Location	The Pit at Memorial Gymnasium | Orono, Me.
Live Video	ESPN+ (Bryan Stackpole and Sandy Thomas)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | Maine Notes
Follow	X/Twitter | Instagram | Live Stats

 

Game 25	NJIT Highlanders at New Hampshire Wildcats
Date & Time	Saturday, Feb. 8 | 1 p.m.
Location	Lundholm Gymnasium | Durham, N.H.
Live Video	ESPN+
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | UNH Notes
Follow	X/Twitter | Instagram | Live Stats

 
NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT men's basketball kicks off a three-game road stretch this weekend as it heads north to face Maine and New Hampshire. The Highlanders and Black Bears will square off on Thursday night at 6 p.m. while NJIT and UNH will do battle on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games can be seen live on ESPN+.

Last Time Out
Tim Moore Jr. and Tariq Francis each scored in double figures but the NJIT men's basketball team fell on Saturday afternoon to Bryant, 92-70. Moore finished with a team-best 16 points along with eight rebounds, while Francis had a solid all-around game with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
 
Ari Fulton was the early hot hand for NJIT, knocking down a pair of early three-pointers. Francis followed up with his first three of the day just a few minutes later, giving the Highlanders an early advantage, 9-7, just over five minutes in. Bryant would respond, using a 10-0 run over the next five minutes go push ahead. NJIT did well to keep things close for much of the opening half, including buckets from Moore and Piggee to help stem the tide after the Bulldog run. The Highlanders chipped away again late in the half with a layup from Levi Lawal and another three from Francis to pull back within four. Bryant would go on another scoring burst thereafter, taking a double digits lead into halftime and extending it in the second half for the victory.

What Sophomore Slump?
Tariq Francis put on a show during his first season as a Highlander in 2023-24 and has continued that level of play during his sophomore campaign. The Pittsburgh native sits second in America East with his 18.7 points per game overall and ranks fourth in the league with 19.0 ppg during conference play.
This comes after posting one of the finest seasons of any freshman in the country. Francis was named America East Rookie of the Year and Met Basketball Writers Rookie of the Year after averaging a team-high 14.8 points overall. His scoring average soared to 18.7 points during America East games last year, ranking him fifth in the league and tops among all true freshmen in the nation in conference scoring.

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. Maine: All-Time Series
Maine drew closer in the all-time series with a 57-44 win in Newark back on Jan. 16, but the Highlanders still hold an 8-7 edge over the Black Bears. NJIT has a pair of wins in Orono since joining the America East, the most recent of which came after a 91-83 overtime victory on Jan. 8, 2023.

NJIT vs. New Hampshire: All-Time Series
NJIT evened up the all-time series with UNH at 5-5 with a 64-59 win back on Jan. 18 in Newark. That victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Highlanders against the Wildcats. Tariq Francis led NJIT to victory in that game with 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Highlander Highlights

• The Highlanders look to get back in the win column after a 92-70 loss at home to Bryant on Saturday afternoon. Tim Moore Jr. led the Highlanders with 16 points and eight boards.
• NJIT trounced UMass Lowell, 83-62, last Thursday at home for the Highlanders' largest America East victory since joining the league prior to 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.
• Tariq 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 on Jan. 23, the first NJIT player in its Division I era (since 2006) to post such a stat line.
• Robinson stepped up his offensive production during Francis' four-game absence earlier this season, averaging 17.8 pts and 6.8 ast during Francis' four-game absence.
• Francis has hit at least one three-pointer in 37 consecutive games. His last game without a make from behind the arc was Dec. 9, 2023 at Wake Forest.
• 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 7.8 pts and 6.3 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 sits second the America East in scoring average this season at 18.7 ppg.
• NJIT is first in America East in three-point defense (.303) and is third in the conference blocks (4.1).
• 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 wrap up their road stretch at Bryant next Thursday night 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.