NEWARK, NJ—NJIT's
Nicole Maticka and
Leah Horton each scored 14 points, leading the Highlanders to a 59-54 women's basketball victory Wednesday afternoon against visiting Texas-Pan American in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
The NJIT women's basketball team also hosted its annual "Education Day" for young area students who came in as guests to visit a college campus, some for the first time, and to enjoy the game.
The Highlanders, winners of three straight, raised their season record to 8-10, while Texas-Pan American, playing for the first time since December 21, dropped to 7-8 on the season.
NJIT started its win streak in South Carolina with a win over Wofford on January 2, and followed up with back-to-back wins over Western Athletic Conference opponents Chicago State on January 4 and Wednesday's win over Texas-Pan American.
The last time NJIT won three straight was in 2013-14, when NJIT defeated Rutgers-Newark on February 17, Incarnate Word on February 22 and then UMass Lowell on March 4.
Horton and Maticka, who combined for 28 points, had help from the NJIT bench Wednesday, which outscored it UTPA counterparts, 20-8.
Horton finished 6-for-10 from the floor while Maticka, who came into the game shooting 48 percent from the floor, finished 5-for-6 from the field. including 3-for-3 from three-point range.
In addition to Horton and Maticka, senior guard
Martina Matejcikova was the third double-figure scorer for NJIT, netting 12 points.
Horton paced the Highlanders on the glass with eight rebounds, followed by
Kim Tullis (7), Maticka (6) and Matejcikova and
Camerin Spahn (4).
Texas-Pan American got a game-high 22 points from sophomore guard Shawnte' Goff and 12 points from senior forward Brittany Bush. Junior guard Rickell Preston added seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds, as the visitors held a slight advantage on the boards, 44-to-42.
In the first half, the game was played close in the opening 10 minutes, with the Highlanders holding a one-point advantage, 16-15, after a three-pointer by
Bianca Picard, which then sparked a 7-0 run for the home team as the Highlanders took a 20-15 lead with 7:09 left in the first period.
Texas-Pan American scored one-of-two from the free throw line before the Highlanders used a 9-0 spurt to push their lead to 29-16, capped by a pair of free throws from Spahn with 2:42 left to go.
The Broncs closed out the final 1:52 of the first half on a 7-2 spurt, cutting the Highlander lead down to single digits, 31-23. Goff had five points in the run.
Texas-Pan American's Goff was the halftime leader with 13 points and NJIT's
Leah Horton led the home team with nine points and five rebounds.
Trailing 31-23 at the half, Texas-Pan American opened the second half with a three-pointer by T'Ondria Nolen, cutting the Highlander lead to five, 31-26. The Highlanders scored seven unanswered points extending their lead back to double-digits at 38-26, after one-of-two made from the free throw line by Matejcikova.
The Highlanders held a double-digit lead, 47-36, up until the 9:16 mark, when Texas-Pan American scored four straight, slimming the lead to seven, 47-40. NJIT's Horton gave the Highlanders a cushion by hitting a jumper from the elbow with less than 7 minutes to play for a 51-42 lead.
Texas-Pan American's Bush scored the next six points, pulling the Broncs to within three, 51-48. NJIT answered on the next two possessions down the floor, connecting on back-to-back three-pointers by Maticka and Spahn for a 57-48 advantage with 3:02 left to play.
The Broncs gave it one last push after a fast break layup by Bush at the 2:39 mark, but Maticka answered with a jumper a minute later for a 59-52 score and the Highlanders held on for a 59-54 victory.
NJIT will play the next four games against teams from the Ivy League, first hosting Columbia on January 12 at 7pm.
