HACKENSACK, NJ—Nicole Maticka recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, leading four double-figure scorers for visiting NJIT Wednesday night, as the Highlanders won their first game of the 2014-15 season, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 68-64, in the Stratis Arena.

A senior center from Slovakia, Maticka shot 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line as the Highlanders improved to 1-2 with the victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1-1).

Maticka was one of four starters to notch double-figure scoring. Guard Martina Matejcikova, another senior from Slovakia, scored a game-high 17 points for NJIT, finishing 6-for-13 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the foul line.

"We were really unselfish tonight and moved the ball well and found the open player," head coach Steve Lanpher commented after the game.  "I thought Nicole got us off to a great start in the first half playing with a lot of confidence and someone who we need to look at the basket and score for us."

Senior Alyssa Albanese and sophomore forward Leah Horton scored 10 points apiece.  Albanese, the Highlanders' point guard from Maryland, dished out a game-high 7 assists and pulled down 6 rebounds for the winners.  Sophomore guard Alana Dudley came off the bench to score 8 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and added 3 assists in 23 minutes of action.

"Alana Dudley was outstanding for us off the bench, who struggled early but settled in and defended well while hitting a couple of huge three's in the second half for us." Lanpher added.

The Highlanders held a slight advantage on the glass, 42-40, paced by Maticka's new personal-best 11 rebounds, surpassing her old mark of 9 against Wagner on November 19, 2011.  She also led the contest with 3 blocked shots.

Fairleigh Dickinson had three double-figure players, led by Amanda Andrades and Kelsey Cruz's 13 points.  Redshirt junior Erika Livermore, who sat out last season due to injury, contributed 12 points and 6 rebounds.  Forward Valerie Oyakhilome added 9 points (all from behind the arc) and sophomore guard Kiana Brown had a team-high 9 rebounds for the Knights.

Last season, NJIT took the game against Fairleigh Dickinson, 84-71, in Newark, where the Highlanders exploded for 53 first-half points and never allowed the Knights closer than 13 points in the second half.

Fairleigh Dickinson started off Wednesday's contest connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers by Oyakhilome for a 6-0 lead in the opening minute.  NJIT responded on a 12-2 spurt to surge ahead of the home team, 12-8, at the 14:47 mark.

The Knights knocked down a pair of free throws knotting the score 12, at the 12:30 mark.  NJIT answered with a 9-2 run and a 7-point advantage, 21-14, on a 3-pointer by Albanese with 7:22 remaining in the half.

The home team cut the lead down to four, 21-17, on an old fashioned 3-point play by Anastasia Williams, but the Highlanders responded on an 8-0 run for their largest lead of the game, 29-17, on a 3-pointer by Maticka with 4:10 left to go in the opening half.

Fairleigh Dickinson scored 7 straight points, slimming the Highlander lead down to four, 29-25, on a 3-pointer by Oyakhilome with less than three minutes remaining in the first period.

NJIT headed into the locker room on a short 5-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer for senior guard Kim Tullis at the 1:42 mark for a 34-26 halftime score.

NJIT's Maticka led all scorers at the half with 9 points, followed by Albanese's 8 points, while Fairleigh Dickinson's Oyakhilome paced the Knights with nine.

Up eight at halftime, NJIT led for the opening 8t minutes of the second half until the home team tied the score at 46 after a 3-point play by Rainey Cox. NJIT responded by builfinh its largest lead of the second half, 11, at 61-50, after 7 straight points for the Highlanders with 4:46 left in the game.  NJIT's Alana Dudley scored five of the seven points in the spurt.

Fairleigh Dickinson, which battled till the end, could not get any closer than five until Kelsey Cruz sank a three that pulled the Knights to within four, 68-64, but with only two seconds remaining before the final buzzer.

NJIT, which has played its first three games on the road, will open up at home on Friday at 7pm when the Highlanders host Lehigh in the Fleisher Athletic Center.