Rutgers Welcomes NJIT to the RAC Wednesday Evening
Nov 29 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (3-2) will work to improve to a perfect 4-0 at home when it welcomes NJIT (1-3) to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Highlanders will drive approximately 30 miles down the New Jersey Turnpike for the contest. NJIT is one of six state opponents on RU's 2010-11 schedule.
To celebrate the season of giving, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be hosting their annual toy and book drive at the game. SAAC members will be on hand to collect new, unwrapped toys and books to benefit local Head Start programs. Items should be valued at $5-10 and be appropriate for a boy or girl aged three through five.
Wednesday evening's game signals the fourth all-time meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Highlanders in four consecutive seasons, with Rutgers holding a 3-0 advantage in the series. RU defeated NJIT 71-62 at the RAC last season. Hamady Ndiaye was one block shy of a triple-double, posting 11 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks in that game. Austin Johnson (Elkins Park, Pa.) was a perfect nine-of-nine from the charity stripe to add a career-high 13 points.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 76-70 loss to Saint Joseph's at the Palestra in Philadelphia this past Friday night. Freshman forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) scored a career-high 12 points on four-of-six shooting and senior guard Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) had 13 points on five-of-nine field goals. RU outscored SJU 40-24 in the paint and forced 17 turnovers, but the Hawks managed to shoot 51 percent (25-49) from the field while also winning the battle on the boards.
Johnson is shooting 68 percent (17-25) to lead the BIG EAST in field goal percentage. Coburn ranks third in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.0), fourth in minutes played (33.6), tied for sixth in assists (4.8) and tied for seventh in steals (2.0) in the conference statistical rankings. His backcourt-mate James Beatty (Wilmington, N.C.) is also prominent among the league leaders, ranking tied for first in three-point field goals made (3.2) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.552).
NJIT, under the leadership of third-year head coach Jim Engles, suffered a 69-50 loss at Vermont on Saturday afternoon. The Highlanders shot 37.5 percent (21-56) and were out-rebounded by a 42-27 margin. Junior guard Isaiah Wilkerson leads the team in both scoring (12.5) and rebounding (5.8). GAME NOTES
