November 14, Marisa Moseley and her Badger women’s basketball squad will square off against the NJIT Highlanders for the first time at 1 p.m. in Madison.
As first-year members of the America East Conference, NJIT recorded a 4-14 overall record a season ago, going 4-9 in conference play after transferring from the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2020.
The Highlanders return 15 student-athletes for the 2021-2022 campaign and welcome two talented freshmen, Trinity Williams and Reese Vaughan, to bring the program a much-needed spark.
Under head coach Mike Lane, who joined NJIT’s staff in 2018 after spending six seasons as the top assistant coach at Bucknell University, the program has accumulated 14 victories and 63 losses over three seasons. Ranked 300 out of 335 women’s programs with a dismal 56.3 point-per-game scoring average and 28.3% team clip from behind-the-arc last season, Moseley’s Badgers will likely feast on the defensive end.
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Like Wisconsin, NJIT returns its leading scorer, Kenna Squier, who accounted for 10.6 points per game and shot 43.1% from the field. Badger fans should keep an eye on guard play for both teams, with Nelson and Hilliard matching up against Squier and the up-and-coming Lyzi Litwinko — a 2020-2021 America East All-Rookie.
On average, NJIT achieved 10.1 assists per game last season compared to the University of Wisconsin’s 12.6. Given the Highlander’s 1-9 mark on the road during 2020-2021, Moseley’s group will look to widen the passing discrepancy and share the rock at a high volume.
Lane’s team arrives in Madison after encounters with Wagner and Marquette, hungry for an opportunity to dethrone a Big Ten opponent on the road. For Moseley and the rest of her coaching staff, this meeting will hopefully appear as nothing more than a formality.
Highlander names to monitor
Junior guard Kenna Squier led last year’s Highlanders in points, field goals made and free throw percentage (.817). As a career 10.8 point-per-game scorer off 45.6% from the field, the 5-foot-9-inch point guard is poised to showcase her offensive skill set as the season progresses. Look for UW’s defense to pay extra attention to the experienced guard on drives or cuts in the paint.
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Rising sophomore Lyzi Litwinko earned All-Rookie team honors as a five-time America East Rookie of the Week. Ranking fourth in assists and seventh in rebounding across her division, the 5-foot-8-inch guard notched 8.5 points per contest and snatched a team-high 6.4 boards per game. She also led the Highlanders in assists as well, with 56 dimes over 18 matches.
Voted as NJIT’s Newcomer of the Year, Litwinko’s versatility could prove challenging for Wisconsin’s defense in her first bout against the Badgers.
Fifth-year senior and co-captain Ellyn Stoll started in all 18 games during the 2020-2021 campaign, notching a team-best 27 three-pointers made and 30.9 minutes each time out.
Freshman Trinity Williams, one of two 2021-2022 newcomers, averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game, garnering 10 double-doubles and team MVP nods at Palisades High School in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania. As a 6-foot-1-inch forward, the Highlanders could use a scoring boost and Williams’ skillset might come in handy for Mike Lane’s squad going forward.
