Post Game Interview

Video Highlights

NEWARK, NJ—The NJIT women's basketball team picked up its first victory of the young season, defeating St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) 78-41 Tuesday night in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
The 1-3 Highlanders had 11 different players score in the game, led by 16 points from junior center Leah Horton, who also grabbed 7 rebounds and made a career-high 4 steals. Horton was followed on the NJIT scoring list by junior Camerin Spahn (11 points) and sophomore Maria Ruban (10 points).
 
Spahn also led NJIT with 9 rebounds and her 4 assists also topped the Highlanders. Spahn had 3 assists and 3 steals, while junior Ruta Vetra had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocked shots in 20 minutes of work off the Highlanders bench.
 
St. Joseph's (0-5) lost despite a game-high 24 points from sophomore guard Destiny Marino, who came in leading her team in scoring at 15.3 points per game. Marino, who supplied of her team's points, was the only player with more than 6 points for the visiting Bears.
 
With NJIT outrebounding the smaller Bears 57-34, junior Samantha Simon's 8 boards were tops for the Bears.
 
The Highlanders opened the game with a 7-2 lead 2:48 into the opening quarter, but the Bears fought back and tied the score at 13 apiece when Marino hit a 3-point shot with 2:58 remaining in the first.
 
NJIT responded with a 9-0 run in the last 2:11 of the period for a 22-13 lead through one quarter. Kelly Guarino (7 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) sparked the closing rally with a free throw. Tatiana Torres and Kayla Diaz each added two points before Ruban made two baskets in the final 72 seconds of the quarter for the Highlanders.
 
That closing spurt carried over into a second quarter that saw the Highlanders triple the St. Joseph scoring, 27-9, building the NJIT lead to 49-22 at halftime.
 
The Highlanders extended their advantage with a 17-6 third quarter and they took their biggest lead, 40 points, when Torres made the first of two free throws to put NJIT ahead 66-26 with 52 seconds showing on the third-quarter clock.
 
Each team scored 12 in the fourth quarter, leaving the Highlanders with a comfortable win over the NCAA Division III Bears. Marino scored seven of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter for SJC.
 
The specialty statistics heavily favored the victors. NJIT had a 50-6 lead on points in the paint; a 25-2 lead in points off turnovers; a 20-0 advantage in second chance points; and a 38-4 lead in bench scoring.
 
The Highlanders also had 20 assists to just 4 turnovers and St. Joseph's was nearly the opposite, with 5 assists and 21 turnovers.
 
Tuesday's 16 steals by NJIT were the most in a game for the Highlanders since they posted 16 twice in November 2012 against two other Division III teams, Rutgers Newark and Centenary (NJ).
 
After taking some time off to celebrate Thanksgiving, NJIT will be back in against another small college program, College of St. Joseph (Vermont) on Saturday at 2 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center. College of St. Joseph is the alma mater of NJIT head coach Steve Lanpher, who scored more than 1,000 points in his men's basketball playing career at the Rutland, VT-based college.