UAlbany men's basketball returns home Thursday, January 29 for their first matchup of the season against the NJIT Highlanders (9-12, 4-2 America East) at 6:30. Thursday's game marks the return of Neon Night where the first 500 fans to arrive will receive a free LED light-up rally towel.
The Great Danes look to turn things around from last week's trip to Maine and New Hampshire where they fell in both games. The team is shooting 46.7 percent from the field while averaging 35 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. Amir Lindsey continues to lead the America East conference in scoring, having totaled 342 points and averaging 17.1 per game. Lindsey also leads the America East in average time spent on the court, averaging 26.4 minutes per game. Okechukwu Okeke and Jaden Kempson also hold top spots in the America Eat. Okeke leads the conference in blocks with 37 (averaging 1.8 per game), while Kempson is tied at the top of the conference table in steals per game, averaging 1.6. Okeke has also recorded a .718 field goal percentage which also puts him at the top of the America East.
NJIT enters Thursday's game on one-game losing streak after suffering a loss to UMBC on Thursday, January 22. As a team the Highlanders are averaging 67.3 points, 34.7 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 12.5 turnovers, 5.9 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game. The team is currently shooting .390 in the paint and .311 from beyond the arc. Sebastian Robinson leads NJIT's scoring drive, averaging 13 points per game while shooting .439 from the field and .233 from beyond the arc. Melvyn Ebonkoli tallies the team high of 6.3 rebounds per game, while David Bolden has recorded the most assists (49) and steals (28).
UAlbany leads the series against the Highlanders having won 15 of the 16 contests between these two teams.
