Rutgers Welcomes NJIT to the RAC on Saturday
Dec 17 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (7-2) plays its eighth of 10 non-conference home games this season when it welcomes NJIT (3-6) to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off. The Highlanders will drive approximately 30 miles down the New Jersey Turnpike for the contest. NJIT is one of seven state opponents on RU's 2009-10 schedule. Saturday's game marks the second of four consecutive road games for the Highlanders. Rutgers is off to its best start during the tenure of fourth-year head coach Fred Hill.
The contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers Radio Network, WOR 710 AM in New York City and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Eamon McAnaney will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU 88.7 FM will also broadcast the game.
Saturday's game signals the third all-time meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Highlanders in three consecutive seasons, with Rutgers holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. The Scarlet Knights defeated NJIT by a 78-52 margin on Dec. 23 last year at the RAC. Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.) shot 8-of-11, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc, to score 24 points in the victory. Center Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) had seven blocks in that game, after issuing four rejections versus NJIT the season prior in a 65-55 RU win at the Prudential Center.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off an 80-70 overtime victory over Rider Tuesday evening at the RAC. Junior point guard James Beatty (Wilmington, N.C.) shot 7-of-9 from the field, including 6-of-8 from behind the arc, to score a career-high 21 points. Rosario scored 18 points and Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) chipped-in a career-high 17, as the Scarlet Knights shut out the Broncs in the extra stanza. The Scarlet Knights dished out 20 assists and deposited 12 three pointers, setting team highs for the most in those categories during Hill's tenure. RU shot 57.1 percent (12-21) from behind the arc and issued 10 blocks, including six rejections by Ndiaye.
Ndiaye was named to the BIG EAST Conference Honor Roll on Monday, marking the second consecutive week (Gregory Echenique, Dec. 7) that Rutgers had a player recognized by the league. The last time the Scarlet Knights earned BIG EAST honors in consecutive weeks was 2006, when Quincy Douby was selected as Player of the Week on Feb. 27 and March 6. Ndiaye leads the BIG EAST with an average of 4.9 blocks-per-game. He ranks second nationally in blocks and third in career blocks. As a team, Rutgers ranks second nationally in blocks.
NJIT, under the leadership of second-year head coach Jim Engles, suffered a 65-54 loss at Saint Peter's in its last game on Dec. 9. The Highlanders committed 22 turnovers and had nine shots blocked. NJIT is led in both scoring and rebounding by sophomore guard Isaiah Wilkerson, who averages 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds-per-contest. GAME NOTES
