Women's Basketball | 1/23/2015 10:46:00 AM
The run of Ivy opposition ends for the NJIT women on Saturday, January 24, when the Highlanders host 2013-14 Ivy League champion Penn at 2 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
Penn, which last season tied its program record for wins in a season (22) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003-04, enters Saturday's contest with an 8-6 overall record and 1-4 on the road. The Quakers, who have lost their last three games away from The Palestra, last won on the road at Navy on November 22, 2014.
The Quakers have faced a tough non-conference slate, opening the season at No. 4 Tennessee and hosting Big 5 rivals Villanova, Temple, Saint Joseph's, La Salle and Drexel. Penn, like the Highlanders, faced New Hampshire and also dropped a 58-43 decision against four-time defending MEAC champion Hampton (28-5 a season ago), who lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Michigan State. The
Quakers defeated Navy 60-51, who finished 24-8 last season and reached the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
Penn was selected atop of the Ivy League Preseason Coaches' Poll, tied with Princeton, with both teams accumulating 123 points. The Quakers earned seven first-place votes.
The Quakers are coming off a 70-44 loss to Villanova, after a first-half barrage of three-pointers, which was the difference, in the Big 5 finale at The Palestra on Wednesday night. Penn will share its first-ever Big 5 Title with Villanova (11-8) as both teams finished 3-1 in city conference play (Saint Joseph's can also finish 3-1 with a win over La Salle later this season).
Sophomore center
Sydney Stipanovich is the only double-figure scorer for the Quakers this season, averaging 11.1ppg while also leading the team on the glass with 113 rebounds (8.1rpg) and 43 total blocks. Stipanovich's 43 blocks rank her first in the Ivy League and 18
th in the nation (3.07bpg), games played through January 21. Senior guard
Kathleen Roche is averaging 8.7ppg and tops the team in three-point field goals made (23).
This will be just the fourth meeting between Penn and NJIT, which won the first two meetings during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The last time they plated in Newark, the Highlanders prevailed 52-48 on January 11, 2012. Penn earned it's first-ever win over the Highlanders on January 25, 2014 in decisive fashion at The Palestra, 84-48.
NJIT (8-13) is coming off a 67-39 defeat at Brown on Tuesday led by
Leah Horton's 11 points and 7 rebounds. The Highlanders are 0-4 against Ivy League opponents this season.
The Highlanders' lone double-figure scorer on the season is Horton, who tops the team in both scoring (10.6ppg) and rebounding (6.9rpg). Horton, who has scored in double-figures in the last three of four contests, is averaging 11.5ppg, 6.5rpg and is shooting 58% from the field (18-for-31).
Point guard
Alyssa Albanese ranks second in scoring with 9.7ppg followed by classmate
Nicole Maticka at 8.1ppg. Albanese tops the team with 85 assists and 23 steals while Maticka the Highlanders 6-foot-3 center has combined for 50 blocks, ranking the senior 36
th in the nation (2.38bpg). She is shooting 46 percent from the field (62-for-136) and 47 percent from three-point range (26-for-55).
Michael Ventola will have the live play-by-play call on the Highlanders Sports Network , which can be found on njithighlanders.com starting at 1:45pm.
Follow NJIT Highlanders on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@njithighlanders) for all the latest news, photos and updates on NJIT Athletics
Â
