Nov. 21, 2006

Box Score

NEWARK, NJ - Freshman Katie Piekielski's personal career-high and game-high 21 points led four double-figure scorers and New Jersey Institute of Technology rolled to an 86-54 women's basketball win over Wilmington of Delaware Tuesday night.

The result leaves both squads with .500 records, as NJIT's record goes to 2-2 and Wilmington is 1-1.

In addition to Piekielski's game-high 21 points, NJIT got 13 points from Jill Dickinson and 10 points each from co-captains Aine O'Dwyer and Kelly Crowe, along with freshman Colleen Vogel. Crowe raised her career scoring total to 1,302 points, 20 under the school-record 1,322 held by Nevea Van Wright, who finished in 1996.

The Highlanders, who had a 56-34 rebounding advantage, were led on the boards by Kehinde Oyelola's 9 rebounds. All 11 players on the active roster for NJIT played and they all got at least one rebound.

O'Dwyer and Dickinson shared the game assists lead, handing out five apiece, while Dickinson and Crowe each made three steals to lead NJIT.

Wilmington was paced by freshman Amelia Simmons' 19 points, while junior center Nordia Henry added 11 points and a team-leading 8 rebounds. Sherrelle Holmes made a game-high 4 steals for the Wildcats.

Piekielski scored 15 of her points in the second half, as NJIT built on a halftime lead more than doubled the visitors' scoring, 44-21, at the break.

Telisha McClure made the second of two free throws 18 seconds into the game, giving Wilmington what would be its only lead, 1-0. NJIT scored the next seven points, but the Highlanders did not put the game under control until later.

Simmons, the Wildcat freshman who had scored 36 points in her college debut last Saturday in a win over Columbia Union, scored on a layup, pulling her team to within a point, 15-14, with 10:48 left in the first half.

NJIT answered the threat with an 11-0 spurt capped by O'Dwyer's fast-break layup off a steal and feed from Dickinson with 7:40 left, putting the Highlanders on top, 26-14.

Wilmington made one last push, closing to within seven, 26-19, with 5:28 left, but NJIT exploded for an 18-2 advantage down the stretch, as six different Highlanders scored in the spurt.

Leading by 23 points at the half, NJIT continued its dominance into the second half, pushing its advantage to 30, 55-25, on Piekielski's layup with 15:58 remaining.

The Highlanders' biggest lead was 35 points, which they reached four times in the second half, the last at 77-42, when Piekielski scored at the 6:20 mark. NJIT led by at least 27 points over the last 17:48 of the game.

The Highlanders are off until Sunday, November 26, when they return to NCAA Division I competition, visiting UMBC for a 2 pm game.