NJIT GAME NOTES (PDF)


NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT Highlanders (5-4) look for their sixth straight home win when the Iona Gaels (3-4) come to the brand-new Wellness and Events Center (WEC) on Saturday afternoon. Opening tip is set for 4 p.m.
 
The Highlanders are coming off a hard-fought 73-64 loss at Rutgers on Thursday, while Iona picked up an 82-75 win over Fairleigh Dickinson last time out on Saturday.
 
After dropping the WEC opener to Wagner on Nov. 11, NJIT has won five straight at their new digs.
 
The game can be seen live on ESPN3 (all remaining NJIT home basketball games can be seen on ESPN3).
 
A simple way to find ESPN3 is on NJIT's official athletics website, http://www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page NJIT TV section, click Upcoming Events for a list of scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the right of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN3 portal where you can access the desired program.
 
Matt Provence, the voice of the Highlanders, will be on play-by-play with expert analysis from Dave Calloway.

All-Time Series
 
Iona leads the all-time series 1-0 after a 94-80 win over the Highlanders on Dec. 14, 2016 in New Rochelle.
 
NJIT is 3-14 all-time against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foes with their most recent win coming in a 78-73 triumph vs. Canisius in the 2015 CIT Quarterfinals.
 
In last season's meeting, a layup from sophomore forward Anthony Tarke tied things at 17 apiece near the halfway mark of the first half before the Gaels answered with a layup on the other end to kickstart an 18-2 run over the next nine minutes.
 
The Highlanders would not get any closer than eight the rest of the way.
 
Damon Lynn knocked down seven threes en route to a game-high 28 points for NJIT, while Tim Coleman chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds and senior guard Chris Jenkins added 13.
 
Coleman became the school's all-time leading rebounder in the contest and also set the mark for most double-doubles in a career.
 
Jordan Washington paced Iona with 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Jon Severe chipped in with 21 and junior guard Rickey McGill contributed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists of his own.
 
Gael Storm
 
The Gaels have won back-to-back games over Ohio and Fairleigh Dickinson after dropping four of their first five to start the year.
 
In the 82-75 win over FDU, Iona outscored the Knights 51-33 in the second half after trailing by 11 at the half.
 
Senior guard/forward Jan Svandrlik was 6-of-11 from beyond the arc and poured in a team-high 27 points. Svandrlik was joined in double figures by junior guard Schadrac Casimir (21 points), senior forward TK Edogi (12 points) and McGill (11 points, 12 rebounds).
 
Iona ranks third in the MAAC in scoring at 77.1 points per game and also leads the league in free throw percentage at 77.7%.
 
Head coach Tim Cluess has turned the Gaels into an offensive force during his tenure as they have ranked in the top 10 in the country in points per game in four of his six seasons.
 
The Gaels feature a balanced offensive attack this season as five players are averaging more than 9.5 ppg: McGill (14.1 ppg), Edogi (14.0 ppg), senior guard Zach Lewis (12.6 ppg), sophomore guard/forward E.J. Crawford (10.0 ppg) and senior guard Deyshonee Much (9.6 ppg).
 
Cluess is in his eighth season at the helm of the Gaels and has led his team to 20+ wins in each of his first seven seasons including NCAA Tournament berths in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017.
 
A year ago, the No. 14 seeded Gaels fell to No. 3 seed Oregon, 93-77 in the opening round.
 
Prior to coming to New Rochelle, Cluess spent four seasons as the head coach at LIU Post at the Division II level and posted an astounding 98-23 record (.810).

NJIT Outlook
 
The Highlanders battled for all 40 minutes, but came up short in the 73-64 loss at Rutgers on Thursday.
 
Trailing by just three at 41-38 in the early goings of the second half, the Scarlet Knights embarked on a 20-6 run to open up a 61-44 advantage with 8:58 to play.
 
NJIT would not get closer than eight the rest of the way.
 
Tarke posted a game-high 19 and 12 rebounds, his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career. Junior forward Abdul Lewis added 14 points and seven rebounds for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad, while junior guard Donovan Greer tied his season-high with 10 points off the bench.
 
The 10 points for Greer also marked the third double-digit scoring effort of his Highlander career. Greer's career-high of 11 points came on Feb. 4, 2017 at Lipscomb.
 
Tarke has now led NJIT in scoring in three straight games and is averaging 16.7 points per game during that stretch.
 
The Highlanders recorded 15 steals and forced 19 total turnovers in Thursday's contest at Rutgers. NJIT leads the ASUN in steals at 10.0 spg, a number that is tied for 12^th in the nation.
 
Kennedy's club is allowing 71.9 points per game on the defensive end, a total that ranks second in the ASUN.
 
Lewis leads the ASUN in rebounding at 9.6 rpg and is one of three Highlanders averaging double figures in points at 10.8 ppg. Tarke (12.6 ppg) and junior guard Diandre Wilson (10.0 ppg) are the others.


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry