Men's Basketball February 19, 2020 Athletic Communications

Hatters Open Final Road Trip Thursday at NJIT

Stetson men's basketball begins its final road trip of the season on Thursday when the Hatters visit ASUN Conference rival NJIT. Tip off from Newark, N.J., is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Hatters (15-12 overall, 9-3 ASUN) enter the weekend road trip firmly entrenched in third place in the ASUN standings, holding a 2.5-game lead on fourth place Lipscomb. With games remaining against second-place Liberty (10-2) and league-leading North Florida (11-2), however, the Hatters are still in the hunt for the ASUN regular-season title.

But before the Hatters can worry about future opponents they must deal with NJIT on Thursday. The last time the Hatters and Highlanders met, the game became and instant classic, with the Hatters rallying from a 16-point second half deficit for a 65-64 win back in January. Three Hatters scored in double figures, led by 19 points from Mahamadou Diawara.

NJIT (7-81, 4-8) has struggled of late, having lost their last five games. The Highlanders featured ASUN scoring leader Zach Cooks, who tops the conference with 19.2 points per game.

What You Need to Know
•Stetson opens its final road trip of the regular season on Thursday when the Hatters visit NJIT
•Stetson is looking for the season sweep of the Highlanders after last month's thrilling 65-64 win in DeLand, a game in which the Hatters overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half. The Hatters last swept NJIT in 2018.
•Thursday's game is the 11th meeting all-time between the Hatters and Highlanders, with the series tied at 5 wins apiece. Stetson is 2-3 all-time in Newark. All but one of those games was decided by 5 or fewer points.
•A win on Thursday will give Stetson its first 5-game winning streak since the 2012-13 season
•Freshman Rob Perry, who two weeks ago at FGCU broke Stetson's single-season freshman record for 3-point field goals in a season, needs 121 points to become Stetson's leader in points by a freshman. He is chasing Derick Newton's record of 553 points, set during the 2015-16 season.
•Fellow freshman Mahamadou Diawara is also climbing the freshman scoring charts, as his 343 points this season ranks seventh.

Under the Hat
•Following Saturday's 59-42 win against Kennesaw State, the Hatters are now 14-3 this season when holding an opponent under 70 points. Saturday's margin of victory was Stetson's largest of the season against a Division I opponent.
•Stetson is 9-5 in games decided by 5 points or less, with 7 of those victories coming in ASUN play. Those 9 total victories are more than any other Division I team in the country.
•One year after failing to win a single road game, the Hatters are 8-7 away from Edmunds Center, including 7-6 in true road games. It's the most road/neutral site victories for Stetson since the 1994-95 squad also won 8.
•Rob Perry broke the Stetson freshman record for 3-pointers in a season at FGCU when he sank his 62nd trey of the year. Perry broke the previous record of 61 set by Derrick DeWitt during the 1999-2000 season. Perry is within sight of the overall season record of 76, set by Luke Doyle in 2016-17.
•Rob Perry (16.0) and Mahamadou Diawara (12.7) continue to be the highest-scoring freshman tandem in the ASUN Conference at a combined 28.7 points per game. Perry is 11th nationally among all freshmen, and his 34 points at Western Illinois on Nov. 9 is the 3rd-best single-game effort by a freshman this season.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

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Players Mentioned

#33 Luke Doyle: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#15 Mahamadou Diawara: F/C; 6' 10"; Freshman

#2 Rob Perry: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#33 Luke Doyle
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#15 Mahamadou Diawara
: 6' 10"; Freshman
: F/C

#2 Rob Perry
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

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Hatters Open Final Road Trip Thursday at NJIT

Players Mentioned

#33 Luke Doyle

#15 Mahamadou Diawara

#2 Rob Perry

Players Mentioned

#33 Luke Doyle

#15 Mahamadou Diawara

#2 Rob Perry