Box Score
NEWARK, NJ – Graduate student
Shakia Robinson scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but it came in a losing effort, as NJIT dropped a hard-fought 48-45 decision to Dartmouth at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center Saturday afternoon.
The loss, the fifth in six games, dropped the Highlanders to 5-17 on the season.
Robinson was the lone Highlander player to reach double figures. Freshman guard
Alana Dudley was the next high-scorer for NJIT with six points.
Lakin Roland paced the Big Green (3-12) with 17 points and Abbey Schmitt added 10.
Late in the second half, the two teams exchanged the lead four times, with the last coming on Fanni Szabo's clutch 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key with 54 seconds remaining, giving the Big Green the lead for good at 44-43.
Just prior, the Highlanders took a 43-41 lead on a 3-pointer from junior guard
Denisa Domiterova with 1:07 left.
"We ran our play for Denisa and hit the big three," NJIT head coach
Steve Lanpher said. "We got what we wanted. We did a good job defending Fanni all game, then she stepped up and hit that big three."
The Highlanders had a chance to take the lead again after Szabo's shot, when Dudley was fouled with 33 seconds left, but Dudley missed the front end of a one-and-one penalty situation, giving Dartmouth the opportunity to close it out.
"She's just a freshman," Lanpher said. "It's a tough spot to put her in."
Nicola Zimmer and Schmitt then both made two free throws in the final seconds to help Dartmouth clinch the victory, the first road win of the season for the Big Green.
Alyssa Albanese hit a driving shot off the glass to bring the Highlanders to within one at 46-45 with nine seconds left, but Schmitt's two free throws with seven seconds left iced the win.
"It's disappointing," Lanpher said. "We struggled offensively and had a tough time with their 1-3-1 zone. We had too many turnovers and we were too tentative against the zone. I like the way we came back and got the ball inside to Shakia. We took the lead and had our chances. The shots just didn't go in."
The Highlanders had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Domiterova's 3-point attempt rimmed out.
"I loved our effort," Lanpher said. "We just have to take care of the ball better and execute better."
The Highlanders were plagued by 19 turnovers.
The first half was played at a fast pace, but there was very little scoring.
Dartmouth held an early 6-2 lead, but the Highlanders then put down the defensive clamps and held the Big Green scoreless for more than four minutes.
Matejcikova scored on a power move with 11:45 remaining that tied the score at 6-6. Robinson then scored on two consecutive baskets down low, the first off a pretty feed from
Alana Dudley, then Dudley added a free throw, capping a 9-0 Highlander run, giving NJIT an 11-6 lead with 9:45 remaining in the first half.
The Big Green then countered by scoring the game's next six points, with Kamala Thompson capping the run with a driving move, giving Dartmouth a 12-11 lead with 7:52 remaining.
The two teams then traded the lead five more times in the first half, before Dartmouth scored the final four points of the half on a rebound basket by Roland and a jumper from Zimmer, giving Dartmouth an 18-15 halftime advantage.
NJIT went scoreless for the final 5:55 of the first half.
Roland led all scorers with eight points at the break.
The Highlanders take to the road for their next four contests, beginning with a trip to Philadelphia to face Penn next Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Highlanders' next home game will be Monday, February 17, when they play host to neighboring rival Rutgers-Newark at 7 p.m.
Courtesy James Hague
