Box Score
NEWARK, NJ—Visiting American, a championship-level team a year ago, held off NJIT, 70-63, in the women's basketball season-opening game for both teams Friday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
The game was played in front of the “Pack the House” Night crowd of 873, the highest home attendance for a women's game since NJIT began Division I competition in 2006-07.
The Eagles, who were the 2007-08 regular season champions of the Patriot League and a participant in the postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament, were led by senior guard Talicia Jackson, who scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds. Junior Nicole Ryan came off the bench for 10 points and the only other American player to reach double-figure scoring.
The Highlanders got a game-high 19 points from sophomore guard Jessica Gerald along with 11 points from Taiwo Oyelola and 10 from Ivana Seric. Gerald scored 14 of her points in the second half, as NJIT fought in vain to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit.
NJIT also had the game-leading rebounder, as Kehinde Oyelola came away with eight boards, followed by seven for Seric.
American, however, had a 42-30 rebounding edge as a team, paced by Sahar Nusseibah, who pulled down seven rebounds.
The game was played to a 14-14 standstill through the first 10:30, but American's Ashley Yencho made a fast-break layup with 9:23 left in the half, sparking a 7-0 run that put the Eagles in control until halftime.
NJIT cut its deficit to three points twice, the last time at 5:15 on a layup for Adriana Johnson that made it 25-22, American.
The Eagles responded with 9-0 run that included five points for Yencho, giving them their biggest lead, 34-22, with 3:04 left.
The halftime score was 38-30 for American, led by Yencho's seven points. Seniors Jackie McCaffrey and Jill Dickinson had six points apiece to lead NJIT.
Trailing 51-42 with 13:30 left, NJIT got seven unanswered points—all by Gerald—in the next 2:23 to close to within two points, 51-49.
The game was eventually tied, 53-53, after a pair of Taiwo Oyelola free throws with 9:45 remaining, but American again answered, spurting for seven straight points—five by Ryan.
The Highlanders continued to push, but American showed the poise to always respond with enough to keep the lead at five points or more until very late, when NJIT's Kehinde Oyelola made two foul shots with just 22 seconds to bring the Highlanders to within four, 67-63.
By that time, however, the Highlanders were reduced to fouling in a bid to stop the clock and trade foul shots for possession. Just five seconds after Oyelola cut the deficit to four, American's Jackson made two free throws at the other end to all but seal the win.
NJIT's next action is Tuesday at 7 pm against Wagner on Staten Island.
