BOCA RATON, FL—Senior guard Brooke LeMar scored 19 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, leading North Dakota State to a 60-48 victory over NJIT in the championship game of the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday night at FAU Arena.
NJIT defeated host Florida Atlantic 65-57 in the opening round of the tournament on Friday, advancing to the championship game while NDSU slipped by Northeastern, 79-72, to earn its spot in the finals.
With the title game defeat, the Highlanders fall to 3-4 on the young season, while the Bison raise their season record to 3-2.
LeMar, the reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year and 2014 preseason first-team honoree, was held to just two points in the first half, but exploded for 19 in the second half. The 5-foot-6 guard shot 6-for-16 from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
NDSU's junior forward Holly Johnson scored all 13 of her points in the second half and pulled down 10 rebounds. Marena Whittle grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as the Bison held a 45-to-38 advantage on the glass.
The Highlanders were paced by sophomore guard
Alana Dudley, who scored 10 of her career-high 16 points in the second half to surpass her old mark of 14 points vs. Howard on November 17, 2013.
Alana Dudley finished 7-of-14 from the field.
NJIT center
Nicole Maticka was the Highlanders' other double-figure scorer with 11 points while adding seven rebounds and three blocks that bring her career mark to 175 (four shy the NJIT D1 record). Sophomore forward
Leah Horton added six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Point guard
Alyssa Albanese of the Highlanders dished out a game-high seven assists to earn a spot on the all-tournament team as the senior combined for 10.5ppg, 3.5rpg and 10 assists in two games. Albanese scored a team-high 19 points in the win over FAU on Friday.
The game was tied when both teams scored on their first possession and NJIT would score the next three points from the free throw line for a 5-2 lead. NDSU gained its first lead at 6-5 and later 8-7 on a layup by Liz Keena at the 12:52 mark.
NJIT scored four straight points for an 11-8 lead on a jumper by senior guard
Kim Tullis with 10:07 left on the clock.
NDSU used a 10-2 spurt, extending the Bison lead to five, 18-13, on a three-pointer by Alisa Brown with 6:34 left to go.
The Highlanders went on a 6-0 run, regaining the lead, 19-18, at the 4:43 mark, after a jumper by
Alana Dudley. Dudley scored four of the Highlanders' six points in the run. The Bison responded with an 8-2 spurt to close out the first half with a 26-21 advantage.
Neither team could get going in the second half until NJIT's Tullis broke the ice at the 16:43 mark on a three-pointer from the corner, cutting the Bison lead to 2, 26-24. Over the next two minutes, both teams traded baskets with the Highlanders knotting the game at 30 on a 3-pointer by Maticka with 13:40 remaining in the second half.
The Bison gained control of the game with a 13-2 spurt, breaking a 32-32 tie at the 10:42 mark and later pushing its lead to 11, 45-34. NJIT inched its way back into the contest after an 8-0 run closed the gap to 49-46, sparked by a layup by Maticka with less than 6 minutes on the clock. But that was the closest the Highlanders would get.
NDSU finished the game on an 11-2 spurt for a 60-48 victory.
NJIT will play its next four contests at home, first hosting Wagner on Tuesday at 7pm at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
