Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Alex Bentley's16 points and career-high 9 assists led four double-figure scorers and Penn State, 79-57, in a women's basketball win Sunday afternoon in the season opener for the Highlanders played in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State (2-0), the first-ever women's basketball Big Ten opponent for NJIT, was paced by Bentley, a freshman guard who shot 6-for-11 from the field overall and was 3-for-4 on free throws. Penn State also got 14 points from Julia Trogele and Zhaque Gray while senior guard Tyra Grant chipped in 11 points.
NJIT's leading scorer was preseason first-team all-Great West Conference selectee, Jessica Gerald with 21 points. Gerald returns to the court after missing the final10 games last season due to an ankle injury. Gerald was nearly perfect from the free throw line shooting 9-for-10.
Preseason Great West Conference honorable mention Taiwo Oyelola scored 11 points while junior Ivana Seric added 10 for the Highlanders.
NJIT sophomore point guard Melanie Griffin dished out a career-high six assists surpassing her old mark of four which came against Longwood on February 14, 2009.
Freshman guard Rayven Johnson came off the bench and collected six points in 23 minutes for the Highlanders.
Penn State led on the boards, 47-38, as Trogele and Taiwo Oyelola shared game-high honors with 9 rebounds. Three different Lady Lions pulled down six rebounds, as did Gerald for NJIT.
The Lady Lions could not shake the Highlanders in the first half. NJIT built an eight-point lead, 24-16, on a three-pointer by Gerald at the 7:50 mark.
Penn State scored the next nine points pulling ahead of the Highlanders, 25-24, on a three-pointer by Gray and the home team went on a 5-2 run over the next four minutes, taking a 31-26 lead.
A lay-up by Seric with less than four minutes remaining in the first period, the Lady Lions closed out the half on a 7-2 spurt, for a 38-30 half time score.
Penn State opened the game at 11-5 on Merideth Munroe's jump shot with five minutes into the contest but the visitors answered back scoring 11 unanswered points, 16-11, sparked by Taiwo Oyelola's three-pointer at 13:48.
Gerald was the high scorer at half-time with 13 points and Gray's eight paced the Lady Lions.
The Lady Lions carried its strong first-half finish into the first 13 minutes of the second half, stretching its lead to 12. NJIT cut the lead down to 10 on a jumper in the paint by Gerald, 51-41, with 11:47 remaining but Penn State pushed its lead to 22 to secure the win.
Taiwo Oyelola, who had three points at halftime, scored eight in the second half and pulled down six rebounds.
NJIT will play its next three games at home, starting on Tuesday at 7pm when the Highlanders host their home opener against Wagner at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
