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The NJIT women's basketball team, which started the season with a program-best 4-1 record, has dropped its last four contests and looks to bounce back to the win column on Saturday when the team hosts Delaware State at 2pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Highlanders (4-5) opened up the 2012 season at Seton Hall, the fourth Big East opponent the Highlanders have faced since competing against a Division I schedule (2006-07) dropping a close 69-66 decision.

NJIT won the next four games – at Rider (53-51), vs. Centenary (72-37), vs. Rutgers-Newark (90-31) and vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (73-61) but has had a string of losses after facing back-to-back America East teams – Stony Brook (59-34) and defending conference champions, Albany (76-41), a home loss vs. Northeastern (59-45) and at Fairleigh Dickinson (67-58).

The Highlanders which led by as many as nine in the first half, (19-10), at FDU on Wednesday, NJIT held a three-point advantage, 50-47, after a three-pointer by sophomore Sarah Olson with 7:18 remaining in the contest but the home team did damage over the next 6:20 scoring 16 unanswered points for a 13-point advantage, 63-50, with 1:30 remaining on the clock.

NJIT was led by Olson, who was one-point shy her career-high, finishing with 24 points.  Olson matched her season-high knocking down six three-pointers from behind the arc on nine attempts.

Senior guard Rayven Johnson posted her fifth double-double of the season (16th of her career) with 14 points and 12 rebounds while junior forward Uju Nwankwo matched her season-high with 11 points and set a new season-high with eight rebounds.  Nwankwo finished 5-for-6 from the floor.

NJIT is led by Johnson who is averaging a double-double with 17.7ppg and 10.2rpg, which ranks the 5-foot-9 guard tied for 14^th in the nation.  Johnson, a Preseason first-team Great West Conference honoree, has posted double-figure scoring in eight out of nine contests this season with three 20-point performances.

The Highlanders other double-figure scorer is Olson with 12.8ppg while shooting a team-best 46 percent from behind the arc (28-for-60).  Olson is ranked tied for 39 in the nation in three-pointers made (2.75) and 45^th in three-point field goal percentage.

Junior forward Uju Nwankwo is averaging 7.4ppg while leading the Highlanders with 14 total blocks and ranked second with 46 rebounds (5.1rpg).  Nwankwo has registered at least one steal or block in eight out of nine games this season.

Last season when both teams met in Dover, Delaware, NJIT's Nwankwo and Johnson, combined for 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Highlanders, who led by 18 at halftime, rolled to a 65-49 road victory.

Delaware State (2-4) winners in the last two out of three contests, is coming off a hard-fought 54-40 loss to MEAC favorite Howard on Monday evening. The Hornets cut a 12-point deficit to four in the second half but it was Howard with a late surge increasing the Bison lead to double-digits with five minutes remaining in the game and never looked back. Junior Deanna Harmon was high scorer for the Hornets with 16 points in the contest.

Sophomore Tierra Hawkins, the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Week, is tops on the team and third in the conference in scoring at 21ppg.

Hawkins, the 2011-12 MEAC Rookie of the Year and 2012-13 Preseason first-team honoree, has scored at least 15 points in each of the team's six games and she ranks fifth in the MEAC in field goal percentage (.511; 47-for-92) and sixth in rebounding (8.0 pg).

Harmon is averaging 11.2ppg while the team's other double-figure scorer is Tasia Bristow with 10.3ppg.

Delaware State, which finished with a 7-23 overall record last season, has been selected to finish the 2012-13 season 11^th out of 13 teams in the Preseason MEAC Coaches Poll. NJIT will also host MEAC opponent Howard on January 24.

Fans can follow all the action live on www.njithighlanders.com, which will carry a live video stream and webcast play-by-play and commentary from Michael Ventola, as well as an in-game real-time stat feed. Audio coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. with tip off set for 2 p.m.