SPARTANBURG, SC—NJIT exploded for 43 second-half points and never allowed Wofford closer than 7 points early in the second half of a 76-50 victory for the Highlanders, who scored their season-best in topping Wofford Friday afternoon in Benjamin Johnson Arena.

The Highlanders, who put up their highest scoring total of the season, surpassing the 68 they netted in beating Fairleigh Dickinson on November 19, shot 52.6 percent from the floor and 55 percent from three-point range for the game Friday at Wofford.  NJIT made 16 of its 29 shots in the second half, including 6-for-11 on 3-pointers. 

The Highlanders also set a season-high from downtown, connecting on 11 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, led by 4 for Maticka.  Earlier, NJIT made eight three-pointers at Dartmouth on November 16.

"This was our best offensive display of the season," head coach Steve Lanpher commented. "We were unselfish, moved the ball well, and found our shooters."

Friday's win lifted NJIT to 6-10 and snapped a six-game skid, while Wofford drops its fifth straight, falling to 3-10 on the season.

Senior Nicole Maticka led the balanced attack for the Highlanders with a career-high 19 points and added six rebounds.  Maticka shot 7-for-9 from the field and was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.  

NJIT senior Alyssa Albanese scored 11 of her 18 points in the second half, while also dishing out a game-high 8 assists to raise her  NJIT Division I-record career total to 302.  The team's 19 assists is also a new season mark.

NJIT's other double-figure scorer was sophomore forward Leah Horton, who scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds, as the visitors outrebounded the home team, 36-27 on the glass.

"Nicole was efficient in scoring 19 points on 9 field goal attempts; Alyssa played an outstanding game with 18 points and eight assists; and, Leah had a nice interior game with 12 points and 8 rebounds," Lanpher added after the game about his three double-figure scorers.

The Highlanders enjoyed a 20-9 lead on points off turnovers and 21-5 advantage in bench points.

Junior guard Jordan Frazier scored a game-high 22 points for the Terriers, while Kentra Washington chipped in 13 points for Wofford.  Three Terriers pulled down five rebounds apiece—forward Khadijah Joyner and guards Ashton Fleming and Washington.

The first half was played tight with no ties and five lead changes over the first 20 minutes.  Wofford's Frazier scored the first points of the game at the 18:18 mark but the Highlanders scored five straight for a three-point advantage, 5-2.

The visitors pushed their lead to four, 12-8, after a jumper by Camerin Spahn with 13:31 left,  but Wofford then scored seven unanswered for a 15-12 advantage at the 11:03 mark.

NJIT scored four straight for a one-point lead, 16-15, after back-to-back jumpers by Horton and then by Maticka with 9:13 remaining in the first half.  The Terriers answered with a 5-0 run extending their lead back to four, 20-16, with 7:20 left to play.

The Highlanders used an 8-2 run to regain the lead for good on consecutive three-pointers by Albanese and Maticka to go up 24-22 with less than six minutes to go in the first period.

Wofford closed the gap to within one on two occasions in the final 5:12 of the half, the second with 2:25 on the clock, after a layup for Frazier cutting the NJIT lead to  28-27.  The visitors closed out the half scoring the final five points.

NJIT, on top 33-27 at the break, was led by Maticka's 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from downtown, followed by Albanese with seven points.  The Highlanders shot 50 percent from the floor and 55.2 percent from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.  Wofford's Frazier was the halftime leader with 16 points. 

The Highlanders scored the first points of the second half on a three-pointer by Albanese for a 36-27 lead.  Wofford cut the deficit to seven points, 36-29, after Chanel Stokes' layup at the 18:33 mark, but the Highlanders broke open the game, scoring the next 12 and extending their lead to 19, 51-32, on a three-pointer by Alana Dudley.

NJIT, which has played its last five on the road, will host Chicago State on January 4. The Cougars, like NJIT, were part of the old Great West Conference.  Both teams were in the Great West for the conference's existence from 2008-09 season through the 2012-13 season.

After 2012-13, the GWC ceased operations, with most of its members, including Chicago State, departing to the Western Athletic Conference.

NJIT, which won the last women's basketball game ever played in the Great West, the 2013 GWC championship game, will renew its series vs. Chicago State.

Chicago State won the 2010-11 regular season and tournament titles in the GWC.