GAME NOTES VS BINGHAMTON 2.7

NEWARK, NJ – NJIT concludes their homestretch on Saturday, February 7^th when the Highlanders welcome Binghamton for a 4:00 p.m. start time. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Provence (Play by Play) and Jesse Agel (Color) on the call.

UMass Lowell Recap

• The Highlanders wins third straight on Thursday night with 81-56 win over UMass Lowell and improve to 7-2 in America East play.
• Graduate student Melvyn Ebonkoli delivered a dominant performance in the paint, pouring in a career-high 20 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field.
• Sophomore Ari Fulton recorded his second consecutive double-double, and sixth of the season, with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Sophomore Jordan Rogers recorded another double-digit performance with ten points and sophomore Quentin Duncan recorded 13 points off the bench, his second double-digit game in the last three games.
• America East Player of the Week junior Sebastian Robinson added ten points to the Highlanders offense, his seventh straight game in double-figures.
• With the win, the Highlanders improved to 7–2 in conference action, marking the most America East victories in program history since joining the league. The victory also secured the Highlanders first three-game winning streak since January of 2022.

NJIT vs. Binghamton: All-Time Series

• This is the 14^th all-time meeting between the Highlanders and the Bearcats.
• The Bearcats lead the all-time series 9-4.
• Last matchup was this season where the Highlanders took down the Bearcats, 73-65, in Binghamton on 1/3/26.

America East Honors

• Junior Sebastian Robinson was named America East Player of the Week (2/2) averaging 19.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG and shot 15-29 FG (51.7%)
• Freshman David Bolden was named America East Rookie of the Week for the third time this season averaging 15.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 3.0 SPG and shot 6-14 FG (42.9%) and 4-9 3PT FG (44.4%. Bolden was received the same honor two weeks in a row earlier in the season (11/10, 11/17).
• Sophomore Ari Fulton was named America East Co-Player of the Week (11/17) averaging 17.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG.

Quick Notes:

• Grant Billmeier enters his third season at the helm.
• Ty Goode joins the coaching staff as an assistant coach after spending the previous three seasons on the staff at Fordham University as Recruiting/Video Coordinator (2024-25) and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator (2022-24).
• The Highlanders return nine players from last season, one of the highest marks in the conference.
• The Highlanders boasts a younger roster with 11 of its 15 members being either freshman or sophomores. The team also has three juniors and a graduate student.
• Newcomers to Newark include Melvyn Ebonkoli, Jeremy Clayville, Rocco Awad, Zack Scherler, AJ Altobelli and David Bolden.
• Bolden's 18 points at Fordham (11/4) is the most points scored by a freshman in their debut since Damon Lynn in 2013. Damon had 21 points at Tulane on Nov. 8, 2013.
• The last time the Highlanders started off a season 3-1 was back during the 2015-16 season.
• The Highlanders concluded their non-conference slate with five wins, which is their most non-conference wins since the 2021-22 season (5).
• The Highlanders took down Binghamton, 73-65, to win their America East opener for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
• With win at Vermont (1/31), the Highlanders reached their highest conference win total since joining the America East, matching their conference high of six wins set in the 2021-22 season.

Next Up
NJIT starts a two-game road trip as the Highlanders travel to New Hampshire on Thursday, February 12^th for a 6:00 p.m. start time. Stay up to date on all things NJIT Men's Basketball throughout the season by following @NJITHoops on X/Twitter and Instagram.