NEWARK, NJ—Junior forward Nikkei Blackburn scored four of Delaware State's nine overtime points, helping the visiting Hornets to a 56-54 overtime win at NJIT Tuesday evening at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Blackburn, an athletic 6-foot forward, put the Hornets ahead, 55-54, completing an old-fashioned three-point play with 26.2 seconds left in overtime.  After a timeout by NJIT, senior Alyssa Albanese, who earlier sent the contest into overtime, drove into the lane with :08 seconds on the clock, but her shot rolled in and out of the cylinder.  Blackburn pulled down her career-high 16^th rebound of the game and connected on one-of-two from the free throw line to hold on to the 56-54 overtime victory.

Delaware State (4-16) snapped a four-game skid, led by redshirt senior Tierra Hawkins' double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hawkins shot 7-of-16 from the field.  Amber Bogard and N'Kayah each added 11 points for the Hornets, followed by nine points from Blackburn.

NJIT's Albanese filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and four steals, while Nicole Maticka netted 14 points and sophomore forward Leah Horton added 12 points.  Horton grabbed a new personal –best with 16 rebounds, surpassing her 15-rebound performance on November 24, 2014 against St. Francis Brooklyn.

The Highlanders (8-15), who went to overtime for the third time this season, led by as many as 10 points in the first half (13-3) in a game that saw nine ties and nine lead changes by the end..
Delaware State rallied back to erase the early 10-point deficit on an 11-1 run to pull within one of the home team, 15-14, with 5:51 left to go in the first period.  NJIT scored the next four points to push the lead to 19-14, and held a three-point advantage heading into halftime, 22-19.

Highlanders' Nicole Maticka led all scorers at the half with 12 points.

NJIT's Tullis scored the opening points of the second half, extending the Highlander lead back to five, 24-19, but the game would see its first tie, 24-24, at 16:25 after five straight points from DSU's Hawkins.

Both teams seesawed back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than the 38-34 edge for NJIT on a jumper by Horton with 9:40 left in the second half.  The Hornets responded with five straight points for their first
lead of the contest, 39-38, on a three-pointer by Kersey.

The Highlanders went ahead by two, 43-41, on a long three-pointer by Alana Dudley at the 4:33 mark, but the visitors had an answer on the opposite end, knotting the contest for the sixth time, 43-43, on a B;ackburn layup.

The Hornets took a 45-43 lead after a layup by Bogard with 1:47 left in the game.   The Highlanders tied the game for the seventh time in regulation, 45-45, as Albanese knocked down a fadeaway shot just outside the key for a 45-45 score with 14 seconds remaining on the clock.
 
Delaware State converted a layup by Hawkins with five seconds remaining for a two-point advantage, 47-45.  After a timeout by Delaware State, NJIT's Albanese, the heart and soul of the team, dribbled the length of the floor and connected on a floater from the elbow with :00.2 seconds left, forcing overtime.

The Highlanders will host non-Division I opponent, College of St. Joseph (Vermont) on Saturday, February 7 at 2pm.

College of St. Joseph in Rutland, VT, is the alma mater (bachelor's and master's degrees) of NJIT head coach Steve Lanpher and where he began his college coaching career, leading the Fighting Saints women in 1993-94.