Women's Basketball | 2/15/2015 11:55:00 PM
EDINBURG, TX— The NJIT women will escape the cold winter weather of the Northeast for a few days, traveling to Texas-Pan American for a game in the Rio Grande Valley near the United States-Mexico border Monday at 7 pm (CST) in the UTPA Fieldhouse.
Texas-Pan American visited Newark on January 7 and the Highlanders prevailed, 59-54.
The Broncs, who have won three of their four contests, are 14-11 on the season and 10-2 at home. Texas-Pan American aims to break its record for wins (14) and home wins (10) in a season Monday night.
Texas-Pan American, like NJIT, was 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 Texas-Pan American, departing to the Western Athletic Conference.
Texas-Pan American, playing its second season in the WAC, was selected second out of eight teams in the 2014-15 Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing the 2013-14 season with a 14-16 overall mark, 8-8 in WAC play.
The Broncs completed the regular season sweep of Seattle with a 70-60 road victory on Saturday, paced by Shawnte Goff's game-high 16 points. The Broncs, who trailed by eight at the half, 29-21, poured in 49 second-half points to secure the win.
Sophomore Geoff is the only double-figure scorer on the Bronc team, averaging 15.0 ppg, while also leading the team in three-point field goals made (32) and steals (45). Brittany Bush, the only player to start every game (25), tops the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and blocks (35) while also leading the Broncs from the field, shooting 40 percent (98-for-240).
NJIT (10-15) is coming off a 52-49 home victory over Morgan State on February 11, paced by senior point guard
Alyssa Albanese, who scored the two biggest of her team-leading 12 points on a tie-breaking drive to the basket with 41 seconds left and the Highlanders went on to defeat visiting Lady Bears.
The Highlanders are led by sophomore forward
Leah Horton's 10.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Albanese is the second leading scorer on the team at 9.4 ppg while leading the Highlanders in assists (101), steals (29) and shares team-high honors with Maticka with (28) three-point field goals made.
NJIT leads the all-time UTPA series, 13-5, including a 59-54 win in the last meeting on January 7 in Newark.
