Game 20	NJIT (6-13, 3-3 ASUN) at Florida Gulf Coast (6-15, 3-3 ASUN)
Date | Time	Saturday, January 25, 2020 | 7pm
Location | Arena	Ft. Myers, FL | Alico Arena
Live Video	ESPN+
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
All-time series	FGCU Leads 6-3
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | FGCU Notes

NEWARK, NJ - After suffering its first loss in almost two weeks on Thursday at Stetson, the NJIT men's basketball looks to bounce back on Saturday when it travels to Ft. Myers to take on Florida Gulf Coast.

Watch Game Live on ESPN+:
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.  John Vittas will handle the play-by-play with and color analysis from J Webb Horton.

A simple way to find ESPN+ is on NJIT's official athletics website, www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN+ portal where you can access the desired program.

Last Game Rewind:
The NJIT men's basketball team saw its season-long three-game winning streak snapped as host Stetson came from behind to win 65-64 in ASUN Conference action on Thursday at the Ollie J. Edmunds Center. 

NJIT led by 16 early in the second half, but the Hatters heated up from the field and clawed back, eventually escapting with a one-point victory.

Zach Cooks scored a team-high 16 points, while San Antonio Brinson (15 points), Shyquan Gibbs (12 points) and Levar Williams (career-high 11 points) also finished in double figures. 

What's Cookin'?:
Zach Cooks continues to lead the ASUN in points per game at 19.1 despite not reaching double figures for the Highlanders in their first three conference games; the junior had double-digits in all 13 non-conference games and has scored at least 20 in 12 games, which ranks first in the league by seven games. In his last three games, Cooks is averaging just under 20 ppg.

Brinson's Big Day:
Junior forward San Antonio Brinson scored a program single-game record 37 points on 16-of-23 shooting to help lead NJIT to its first ASUN win of the season at previously undefeated (3-0 ASUN) North Florida on Saturday. Brinson also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists in the victory and was named the ASUN Player of the Week for his performance. 

Get Your Buddy a Shot!:
In four wins this season, NJIT is averaging 16.0apg as opposed to less than 10.0 apg in its losses. The Highlanders dished out a season-high 22 assists vs. Lipscomb, 17 more vs. Wagner and 16 helpers vs. Kean and UNF. Zach Cooks, Shyquan Gibbs and Souleymane Diakite are each averaging more than 2.0 apg, with Cooks leading the way at 2.4 apg. Gibbs has had two games with five or more assists, while Brinson and Reilly Walsh each have one. 

Diakite-Diakite:
Sophomore Souleymane Diakite recorded three double-doubles in the Highlanders' final three non-conference games and his 12-point, 11-rebound, six block performance at UConn earned him ASUN Player of the Week honors. Diakite's six blocks at UConn were the most in a single game since Tim Coleman swatted six shots in 2014. Diakite currently ranks fourth in the ASUN in rebounds (8.6 rpg) and first in blocks (1.7 bpg).

All-Time Series
Saturday's meeting is the 10th all-time between the Highlanders and Hatters, with the previous nine coming in ASUN action over the last four years. FGCU leads the all-time series 6-3 after taking two of three from the Eagles last season, including a ASUN Tournament quarterfinals matchup in Ft. Myers.

Last Three Meetings:
3/4/19: NJIT 83, FGCU 78 -- Ft. Myers, FL
2/13/19: FGCU 57, NJIT 55 -- Ft. Myers, FL
1/30/18: NJIT 66, FGCU 54 -- Newark, NJ

Last Time Out vs. FGCU
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The NJIT Highlanders (21-11, 8-8 ASUN) defeated the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (14-18, 9-7 ASUN) on Monday at the Alico Center, 83-78.

The win was NJIT's first ASUN Championship win in program history and first road victory at FGCU. The Highlanders also tied their program record for wins with No. 21 set back in 2014-15 (21-12).

Senior Diandre Wilson led the team in scoring with 26 points, followed by birthday-boy Zach Cooks with 25 points. Senior Abdul Lewis added 18 points and six rebounds in the effort. Lewis (768 rebounds) also became NJIT's all-time leading rebounder, surpassing Tim Coleman (762) in the first half.

"I'm really proud of the way the guys came out and set the tone," head coach Brian Kennedy said. "I tip my hat to Florida Gulf Coast, they kept fighting until the end, which shows a lot of character from them, but I couldn't be more proud of Abdul [Lewis], Zach [Cooks], Diandre [Wilson] and my whole team."

Up Next
The Highlanders head back to Newark to open up a season-long, three-game homestand on Thursday when they host North Alabama at 7pm in the WEC.