Box Score
SAVANNAH, GA – Crissa Jackson's three-pointer with 55 seconds left in overtime was the decisive basket for Savannah State in a 54-51 overtime win over visiting NJIT in women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Tiger Arena.
The three-pointer was the one basket for Jackson in overtime, who finished the game with seven points. The 5-foot-7 guard grabbed six rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists, as Savannah State improved to 9-17.
The Tigers were led by Courtney Long's game-high 17 points. Long shot 8-for-13 from the free throw line and posted a game-high seven steals. Kymberli Stamps added 10 points for Savannah State.
Junior guard Jessica Gerald netted a team-high 16 points for the Highlanders, who were halted in a bid for four straight wins. Sophomore Melanie Griffin and senior forward Taiwo Oyelola each chipped in 10 points for NJIT. Taiwo pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with her 10 points en route to her seventh career double-double.
NJIT held a 49-46 lead heading into the final two minutes of overtime but it was Savannah State's Stamps that tied the score, 49-49, on a three-pointer with 1:30 remaining in overtime.
The Highlanders inbounded the ball and got it in the hands of Gerald, the team's leading scorer with 15.3 ppg, who finished a layup at 1:10. Savannah State's Jackson received the ball from Stamps sinking the winning points with 55 seconds left. NJIT had three opportunities in the final 30 seconds but was unable to connect. Jackson hit two free throws with nine seconds left to secure the win for the Tigers.
NJIT, which took a 17-7 lead in the opening 10 minutes, led at halftime 23-14. Griffin led all scorers with eight points.
Savannah State opened up the second half with a jumper by Long and went on a 8-0 run sparked by Gabrielle Bennett's layup at 14:26, slimming the Tiger lead to two, 30-28. Bennett had six of the Tiger's eight points in the run.
NJIT pushed its lead up to six on four occasions, the last at 5:49 after a jumper by Griffin, 40-34, but it was Long who responded with a three-pointer at the 4:11 mark, pulling her team within three, 40-37.
Gerald who shot 8-for-13 from the free throw line sank two shots with 1:31 remaining in regulation, putting NJIT on top by four, 42-38.
Savannah State took a timeout to set up a play and had two opportunities, the second came from behind the arc as Stamps connected with 29 seconds left. Gerald was immediately fouled by the Tigers and hit one of two at the free throw line giving NJIT a two-point lead, 43-41. Sophomore Carlita Johnson scored the tying bucket in regulation making a layup with nine seconds remaining.
The Highlanders will return to Great West Conference action next week when they visit North Dakota on Thursday and South Dakota on Saturday.
