Liberty (15-1, 1-0) vs. NJIT (3-10, 0-0)
Wellness and Events Center, Newark, New Jersey; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Liberty looks for its seventh straight conference win against NJIT. Liberty's last Atlantic Sun loss came against the North Florida Ospreys 75-70 on Feb. 23, 2019. NJIT lost 69-47 to UConn on Sunday.
TEAM LEADERS: The explosive Zach Cooks is averaging 22.2 points and 5.1 rebounds to lead the way for the Highlanders. Souleymane Diakite is also a primary contributor, putting up 7.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The Flames are led by Caleb Homesley, who is averaging 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Cooks has either made or assisted on 44 percent of all NJIT field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has accounted for 34 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 72: NJIT is 0-9 this year when it allows 72 points or more and 3-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 72.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Highlanders have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Flames. NJIT has 34 assists on 67 field goals (50.7 percent) over its past three outings while Liberty has assists on 39 of 79 field goals (49.4 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Liberty defense has allowed only 52.7 points per game to opponents, which is the second-best mark in the country. The NJIT offense has produced just 65.6 points through 13 games (ranked 256th among Division I teams).
