Box Score


 
DOVER, DE – NJIT's Uju Nwankwo and Rayven Johnson combined for 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Highlanders, who led by 18 at halftime, rolled to a 65-49 road victory at Delaware State Wednesday evening at Memorial Hall in women's basketball non-conference action.

Although Delaware State outscored the Highlanders in the second half (33-31), the 18-point NJIT halftime lead was barely threatened after the break, as the Hornets never got the deficit lower than 14 points.
 
NJIT, now 3-1 on the season, was paced by 14 points from the active Nwankwo, who made her second start.  The 6-foot sophomore made her first start of the season last Saturday vs. Wagner in the Highlanders 68-65 win and posted a double-double (14 pts, 13 rebs).  Wednesday she finished 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-8 from the free throw line, while pulling down six rebounds.
 
Johnson was the other double-figure scorer for NJIT with 13 points – seven of her 13 points coming at the free throw line.  Johnson also pulled down six rebounds.
 
Newcomer Alyssa Albanese chipped in a career-high nine points while classmate Denisa Domiterova notched a personal-best in two categories with seven points and four assists, which was a game-high.
 
Freshman Sarah Olson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, surpassing her old personal high mark of eight against Brown on November 13 in the Highlanders season-opener.  Center Nicole Matika finished with a game-high four blocks.
 
Delaware State's Tierra Hawkins scored a game-high 20 points followed by Tasia Bristow's 19 points.  Hawkins was the team leader with eight rebounds, as the home team held a slight advantage on the boards, 41-39.
 
Both team started off slow through the first 12 minutes until NJIT's Melanie Griffin broke the fourth tie of the game with a jumper at the 8:10 mark, for a 10-8 lead.  After Griffin's jumper, the Highlanders scored the next nine points, taking an 11-point lead on Domiterova's three-pointer for a 19-8 lead, with 5:26 remaining in the half.
 
The Hornets cut the lead to within 10, on three occasions, the last with 2:49 left in the first period on a free throw by Hawkins, 23-13.  NJIT closed out the final two minutes on a 11-3 spurt pushing the Highlander lead to 18, 34-18, at the half.
 
Delaware State's Hawkins was the halftime leader with 12 points and Nwankwo led the Highlanders with nine points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
 
To start the second half, Delaware State scored the first three points but the Highlanders answered with five points increasing their lead to 20, 39-19, on a three-point play by Johnson and a jumper in the paint by Nwankwo.
 
The Hornets got as close as 14 with 11:15 left to go in the contest, 48-34, scoring eight straight points, sparked by a pair of free throws by Bristow.
 
NJIT extended its lead back to 20 at 59-39 with three minutes remaining in the game after a quick 5-0 run capped by Dweck's jumper in the paint and the Highlanders cruised to the 65-49 victory.

Wednesday night's win for the Highlanders pays back a loss from last season, when they fell at home against Delaware State, 82-74, in overtime on November 24. It was the second straight payback win for NJIT, which posted a 68-65 win over Wagner in the previous game last Saturday, reversing a 71-55 defeat at Wagner last December.
 
The Highlanders will return to action on Sunday when they host Manhattan at 2 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center. Manhattan, too, defeated NJIT last season, topping the Highlanders 62-48 last December 1 in Riverdale, NY.