Box Score
OREM, UT – Savannah State senior guard Lashara Smith scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, as the Tigers pulled away from New Jersey Institute of Technology in the second half to notch a 64-56 women's basketball win Friday afternoon on day two of the Division I Independent Tournament.
Smith was one of three starters to reach double-figures for the Tigers. Sophomore Courtney Long registered 17 points -16 in the second half while 6-foot-3 forward Alisha Nelson collected a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Nelson had a game-high three blocks.
NJIT's Kehinde Oyelola recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The 13 rebounds is a new career-high for Kehinde as she surpasses her old mark of 10 rebounds at Longwood on January 4, 2009.
Junior Taiwo Oyelola added 12 points and six rebounds while senior captain Jackie McCaffrey netted 10 points. Senior Jill Dickinson tallied eight points.
Leading at halftime, 25-24, Savannah State scored the first bucket of the second half on a jumper in the paint by Raven Fields. Kehinde Oyelola scored the next basket at 17:08, and the Highlanders went ahead 28-27, on free throws sank by junior Katie Piekielski.
Over the next three minutes, the game became knotted on three different occasions, the final tie at 13:11, when Taiwo Oyelola hit two free throws giving the Highlanders a 36-35 lead.
Savannah State would take the lead for good at 10:58 on a jumper by Milan Johnson and would lead by as many as nine the rest of the way.
NJIT opened the game 11-7 after Melanie Griffin hit a jumper 7:50 into the contest. Savannah State responded with a 8-2 run over the next three minutes, claiming a 15-13 lead, after Nelson's layup at 10:03 left in the half.
After three ties, the Highlanders went ahead on Dickinson's three-pointer that made it 24-23 with 1:46 left on the clock. Savannah State scored four points in the last 1:20 to take a 25-24 lead at break.
The Highlanders will close out its 2008-09 season Saturday when they face Texas-Pan American at 2:00pm (MT). This will mark the final career games for seniors Jill Dickinson and Jackie McCaffrey.
