Nov. 28, 2007

Box Score

NEWARK, NJ - NJIT sophomores Taiwo Oyelola and Katie Piekielski shared game-high honors with 14 points, while freshman Adriana Johnson recorded a career-high 11 points in the Highlanders 58-44 victory over defending America East Conference champion UMBC Wednesday night at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center. .

The win marks the first victory at NJIT for new head coach Margaret McKeon and the first for the Highlanders this year.

Taiwo Oyelola finished with her first double-double of the season, 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while shooting 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Piekielski shot 4-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line while grabbing seven rebounds. 5-foot-4 Johnson picked up 11 points - 4-for-7 from the field and sank two treys in 18 minutes of action off the bench.

UMBC got a team-high 10 points from junior Melissa Book. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy and junior guard Chantay Frazier each chipped in eight points. Senior Morgan Hatten brought down a team-high eight rebounds.

The Highlanders opened up the game with an 11-3 run, but the Retrievers answered with back-to-back three pointers by Book and Kristin Drabyn, bringing the score 11-9 in favor of NJIT.

Both teams traded baskets as the Highlanders went up by five on a three-pointer by point guard Jackie McCaffrey. UMBC's Hatten responded with a three-ball of her own and a lay-up by Drabyn on the next play, knotting the game at 16 with 8:13 left in the first half.

NJIT sparked a 7-0 run over the last 4:20 hitting consecutive three pointers by Jill Dickinson and Johnson. Johnson closed out the half with a jumper in the paint with 54 seconds left.

Trailing, 27-19, at half, UMBC scored the first seven points of the second half led by Frazier's five points and coming within one point of the Highlanders, 27-26.

Taiwo Oyelola posted the next six points for the Highlanders going up 33-26 at the 13:58 mark.

UMBC came within six points at 43-37 with 6:21 left on two free throws sank by MacKenzie Butler. The Highlanders went on a 13-3 spurt to claim their biggest lead of the night, 56-40, on a three-pointer by captain Piekielski with 2:47 left in the game.

Also contributing to the Highlanders first win of the year was senior Erika Velez, who chipped in four points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists. McCaffrey added five points while posting a game-high five assists.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday at 2 pm when they host Lafayette at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

In the teams' meeting last year, Dickinson's team-high 22 points led four double-figure scorers and NJIT past Lafayette 70-59. NJIT recorded their third win of 2006 in impressive fashion, outscoring Lafayette, 48-32, in the second half.