| Game 25 | Morgan State (9-13) at NJIT (9-15) |
|---|
NJIT Women's Basketball Gameday Information| Date | Time | Wednesday, February 11, 2015 | 7 pm |
| Location | Arena | Newark, NJ | Fleisher Athletic Center |
| Game Notes | NJIT Notes | Morgan State Notes |
| Live Video/Radio | Highlanders Sports Network |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Social Media | @njithighlanders |
The NJIT women will close out a four-game homestand on Wednesday at 7pm hosting Morgan State in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
NJIT (9-15) enter Wednesday's contest coming off a 92-39 home victory over College of St. Joseph's (Vermont) on Saturday, February 7, snapping a five-game skid. The Highlanders, who led 45-16 at the half, outscored St. Joseph's bench, 57-2, while recording 25 assists.
Leah Horton scored nine of her game-leading 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, while
Camerin Spahn notched a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Freshman
Ruta Vetra set a new career mark with 11 points and five rebounds.
Freshman
Maria Ruban put together a strong performance, scoring a new personal-mark in points (12 on 6-of-7 from the field) and rebounds (7). Guards
Ronni Grandison and
Martina Matejcikova each chipped in 10 points for the winners.
NJIT's Horton leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) and rebounds (7.0 rpg) while point guard
Alyssa Albanese is averaging 9.3 points and paces the Highlanders in assists (95) and steals (29). Center Nicole Matcika (7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) tops the team with 61 blocks, which ranks the senior 28
th in the nation.
Morgan State NotesMorgan State (9-13) will close out non-conference play on Wednesday when the Lady Bears visit NJIT.
The Lady Bears, under the direction of head coach Donald Beasley, in his 10
th season, was selected to finish 13
th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing the 2013-14 season with a 5-25 overall mark, 3-13 in the MEAC. Senior guard Tracey Carrington earned a spot on the Preseason MEAC first-team, after averaging 20.9 pgg, 5.7 rpg and 53 assists a year ago.
Morgan State is coming off a 54-46 home victory against South Carolina State Monday night led by Carrington, who scored 19 of her game-high 28 points in the second half, including 13-for-15 performance from the free throw line to pace the Lady Bears.
The Lady Bears are led by senior captain, Carrington, who is scoring a team-leading 19.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg. Freshman guard Braennan Farrar is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 ppg and tops the team in both assists (59) and steals (49).
The SeriesThe Lady Bears lead the series, 2-0, with both meeting being played in Newark. NJIT and Morgan State last met on February 14, 2008, with the Lady Bears claiming a 59-45 decision. Morgan State was the first NCAA Division I women's basketball opponent for the Highlanders, with the Bears winning close, 63-55, on November 16, 2006.
Fans can follow all the action live on www.njithighlanders.com, which will carry a live video stream and webcast play-by-play and commentary from Michael Ventola, as well as an in-game real-time stat feed. Audio coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with tip off set for 7 p.m.
Play4KayIn conjunction with the NJIT vs. Morgan State women's basketball game (Wednesday, February 11, 7 pm, Fleisher Athletic Center), the Department of Athletics will collect donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a charitable organization committed to the fight against women's cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.
Coach Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University women's basketball coach, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away in 2009 after facing her third bout with the disease.
"Play4Kay" is an annual nationwide initiative in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation, with hundreds of women's college basketball teams planning to take part during the month of February.
Those who attend Wednesday night's NJIT-Morgan State game and make a donation will receive a voucher for free admission to any future 2015 regular season home athletic contest.
