EASTON, PA—Senior forward Emily Homan scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, leading Lafayette to a 66-50 win over visiting NJIT Sunday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.

Lafayette, which had dropped its previous three contests, got back into the win column, improving to 6-4 overall, while the Highlanders (5-9) dropped their fifth straight.

Homan, a Preseason all-Patriot League selection, finished the game 8-for-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line, while sharing game-high rebound honors with NJIT's Kim Tullis at 9.  The 6-foot-3 forward also added three blocks in the win.  Senior guard Linnel Macklin netted 12 points for the Leopards.

NJIT had three double-figure scorers led by seniors Martina Matejcikova and Nicole Maticka, who came off the bench to score 11 points apiece, while sophomore forward Leah Horton added 10 points and eight rebounds.  Senior guard Kim Tullis pulled down nine rebounds, one rebound shy her personal-best 10 vs. Binghamton (December 6) and Florida Atlantic (November 28). 

Lafayette jumped out to a 10-4 advantage in the opening four minutes of play, but an old-fashioned three-point play by NJIT's Horton sparked the Highlanders run, cutting the Leopard lead to 12-10 after a three-pointer by Maticka.

After a layup on the opposite end for Homan, NJIT scored the next four points, knotting the contest at 14 on a baseline jumper by Maticka with less than nine minutes on the clock. 

The game went back and forth over the next five minutes, with four additional ties, the final at 25, on one of two free throws made by NJIT's Ruta Vetra with 2:58 left in the half.  However, Lafayette used a 9-3 run to close out the first period, taking a 34-28 halftime advantage.

Homan led all scorers at the half with 14 points, while the Highlanders were paced by Maticka's seven points in 14 minutes of action.

Leading 34-28 at the half, Lafayette opened the second half with an 11-3 spurt that extended the Leopard lead to 45-31 with 14 minutes left on the clock, and Lafayette never looked back in securing the 66-50 win.

Lafayette finished the contest shooting close to 50 percent from the floor (23-for-48) and three-point range (7-of-15).  The Leopards missed only three free throws for the game, shooting 81 percent (13-for-16).

The Highlanders will break for a week and return to action in South Carolina when they visit Clemson on December 29 and then tip off the New Year at Wofford, also in South Carolina, on January 2.  NJIT returns home to Fleisher Family Court on January 4, when the Highlanders play the first of three straight at home, first hosting Chicago State at 2pm.