Dec. 1, 2007

Box Score

NEWARK, NJ - Lafayette's senior forward Vanes Van De Venter scored a career-high 28 points --12 which came from the free throw line -- leading visiting Lafayette in a 61-53 women's basketball win over New Jersey Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Junior guard Meaghan Malone scored 12 points for the Leopards. Junior Emily Garner's nine rebounds was a game-high. Van De Venter and freshman LeKeisha Wright grabbed down eight rebounds apiece.

NJIT got a season-best 13 points from junior guard Jackie McCaffrey, while junior Jill Dickinson added 10 for the Highlanders. Freshman Jessica Gerald and sophmore captain Katie Piekielski chipped in nine apiece.

With 1:03 left in the game freshman Gerald stepped up to the line and knocked down two free throws giving the Highlanders life and pulling them to within a point of Lafayette, 54-53. NJIT committed a foul 11 seconds later and Lafayette's Cristin Zavocki made both of her free throws, starting a 7-0 final minute for the visitors,

Lafayette's decisive run in the last 52 seconds put to rest a contest in which NJIT, down by 11 points at halftime, pulled into a 34-34 tie on freshman Adriana Johnson's follow-up of her miss with 12:13 left.

NJIT was unable to pull ahead, but it cut what had become a six-point deficit to two and later fell behind, 49-42, with 4:56 left, but fought back to within a point, 50-49, when Gerald made the first of two free throws with 2:54 left.

Lafayette surged back ahead by five, 54-49, with 1:51 remaining, but Johnson hit two foul shots with 1:33 left and then Gerald hit her two big free throws 30 seconds later.

The Leopards built a 28-17 halftime lead, led by Van De Venter's 12 points and six rebounds.

NJIT opened the game at 5-0 on a pull-up jump shot by Piekielski and a three-pointer by McCaffrey.

Lafayette answered back with a 6-0 run of its own pulling ahead on a jumper in the paint by Wright at the 16:42 mark.

The Highlanders knotted the game at six when freshman Keri Washington hit 1-of-2 shots from the free throw line. The Leopards scored eight straight points bringing the score 13-9 with 10:55 left.

The next play down the court, McCaffrey hit her second trey of the game coming within one point of Lafayette, 13-12.

Lafayette stretched out the lead to nine points, 23-14, on a jumper by Garner at 3:23.

NJIT will play its next game on Wednesday at 7 pm against Princeton at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.