Box Score  

WATCH POST GAME INTERVIEW

NEWARK, NJ – Nikki Dixon connected on all six of her field goal attempts in the first half en route to a game-high 24 points, leading Clemson to a 84-37 victory over NJIT in women's basketball action at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center Thursday afternoon.
 
The game was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff, but was moved up to 5 p.m. in order to try to avoid the snowstorm that was going to blanket the area later Thursday night.
 
Clemson (8-6), a perennially strong Atlantic Coast Conference program, took control of the game early on, scoring the game's first six points, and never looked back. Dixon, who entered the game averaging just 9.6 points per contest, had 15 points at the half, as the Tigers led, 43-17.
 
"Their pressure was too much for us early on," NJIT head coach Steve Lanpher said. "We gave the ball away too much and you can't do that against a talented team like that. A lot of our turnovers led directly to scores. We just couldn't handle their pressure."
 
The Tigers shot 56.5 percent from the floor (35-of-62), compared to just 26 percent for the Highlanders (13-of-50). NJIT dropped to 4-13 overall.
 
Dixon was the most proficient shooter for the Tigers, connecting on 10-of-13 of her attempts.
 
Freshman guard Alana Dudley was the lone Highlander to reach double figures in scoring, tallying 10 points. Senior forward Uju Nwankwo was a force off the glass for the Highlanders, collecting a game-high 16 rebounds. Nwankwo also blocked three shots.
 
"I'm so proud of Uju, because she always works so hard," Lanpher said. "She missed some shots early, but she continued to battle. She's become a great rebounder and that's a testament to her maturity."
 
Junior forward Martina Matejcikova scored seven points and hauled down eight rebounds for NJIT. The Highlanders managed to out-rebound the Tigers by a 39-38 margin.
 
Kelly Gramlich added 14 points and Chelsea Lindsay had 11 points for the Tigers, who now travel to face nationally-ranked Notre Dame Sunday afternoon.
 
The Highlanders return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. when they play host to Marshall University at the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
"We are learning to deal with games like this," Lanpher said. "We already put it behind us. We're able to bounce back pretty well and turn the page. It was a great experience for us to play an ACC team. It's not the outcome we wanted."
 
Courtesy James Hague