Box Score
 
KINGSTON, RI—University of Rhode Island guards Tayra Melendez and Kerry Wallack combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds as the Rams defeated visiting NJIT, 57-42 Saturday afternoon at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.
 
Rhode Island, which entered the contest on a two-game skid, improved to 2-7 on the season while the Highlanders dropped their third straight, falling to 2-9.
 
The Rams were paced by a game-best 20 points from sophomore guard Melendez, who finished the contest shooting 6-of-16 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line.  Melendez scored her third 20-point performance of the season and just missed notching a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds.
 
Senior Kerry Wallack was the Rams other double-figure scorer on the day, netting 17 points while knocking down 5-of-9 from behind the arc – her new career high in 3-point field goals made.  Wallack, standing at 5-foot-11, also grabbed nine rebounds for the home team as the Rams held a 54-to-33 advantage on the boards.
 
The Highlanders were paced by Uju Nwankwo, who recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 17 rebounds.  Nwankwo scored 10 of her 11 points in the second half, while the 17 rebounds is a new career-high for the senior.  Nwankwo came up one rebound short of the NJIT Division I single season record of 18 held by Rayven Johnson, accomplished on March 16, 2013. Nwankwo finished 7-of-10 from the free throw line.
 
Graduate student Shakia Robinson scored 10 points, while junior guard Martina Matejcikova added seven for the Highlanders.
 
Rhode Island, which led the entire game, jumped out to a 12-point lead in the opening 10 minutes, for an 18-6 score, led by Wallack's eight points.
 
NJIT went on an 8-4 spurt sparked by a layup by Shakia Robinson just under the nine-minute mark, cutting the Ram advantage to single digits, 22-14 after a pair of free throws by Alana Dudley with 4:49 remaining.
 
The home team closed out the first half on a 10-5 run, heading into the locker room with a 13-point lead, 34-21.  Wallack led the first half with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range followed by Melendez with 10 points.
 
To open the second half, Rhode Island took its largest lead of the contest, 17, 44-27 at 13:24 after a pair of free throws by Teneka Whittaker.  NJIT scored the next six points, closing the gap to 44-33 with 8:10 remaining in the game after a layup down the middle of the paint by Denisa Domiterova.
 
The Highlanders closed the gap to within 11 of the Rams on two occasions, the latest at 5:28, 48-37, on a layup by Kim Tullis.
 
In the final 3:10, URI finished out the contest on a 6-2 run for a 57-42 victory.
 
NJIT will return to action on Tuesday at 7pm when the Highlanders host University at Albany in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
UAlbany, which enters the contest on Tuesday with a perfect 7-0 mark, has faced NJIT three times, including last season. The Great Danes were a double-champion in the America East in 2012-13, winning all 16 conference regular season games and then rolling through the AE Tournament and finishing 27-4. The Great Danes also won the America East and played in the NCAA's the preceding year.