Highlights at Stetson

DeLAND, FL-Stetson, one of the top women's basketball teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference, used a 25-point, 8-rebound effort from its star junior guard Brianti Saunders to edge visiting NJIT, 60-55, Saturday afternoon, staving off a determined upset bid by the Highlanders, who played their first-ever away game in the A-Sun.

Saunders, the only player to reach double-figure scoring for the Hatters (10-6, 1-1 A-Sun), scored 13 of her game-high point total in the fourth quarter, which began with visiting NJIT (3-14, 0-2 A-Sun) holding a 41-39 lead.

NJIT, which stood within a bucket of the lead, 53-51, after Alana Dudley's 3-point basket with 1:10 left, got 16 points from Dudley, the junior point guard, and 15 from senior Ronni Grandison. Alana's 16 points matched her career high, done in November 2014 vs. North Dakota State.

Stetson's Saunders and the NJIT pair of Dudley and Grandison were the only players in the game to score more than 8 points for the two teams.

NJIT, which started a small lineup with three guards-Alana Dudley, Olivia Dudley and Kelly Guarino-and Grandison and Camerin Spahn at forward, stayed close with a strong defensive effort, especially in the last two quarters when Stetson connected on just 5 of 22 shots (22.7 percent) from the field.

The Hatters shot 33 percent for the game (16-for-48) and 8 of their 32 misses were the product of blocked shots by the Highlanders. Sophomore Maria Ruban, who had a productive game off the bench, had three of the blocks, a personal-best, and led NJIT on the boards with 7 rebounds.

Grandison chipped in 6 rebounds and Olivia Dudley added 5 to go with a game-high 5 assists for NJIT. Both rebound and assist totals were career-bests for Olivia.

In addition to the game-high 8 rebounds from Saunders, Stetson got 6 each from DeAsia Beal and Breana Bey, who hails from Jersey City, NJ.

Both teams shot their free throws well, but there was a big disparity in the number of attempts. NJIT was 9-for-10 at the foul line, while Stetson more than doubled that, making 22 of 26 (85 percent) in the game, including 13-for-14 in the decisive fourth quarter.

The Highlanders gained their end-of-third-quarter lead by outscoring the home team 19-8 in the period, capped by Kelly Guarino's 3-point basket on NJIT's last possession of the quarter.

The big story of the quarter came on NJIT's defensive end of the court, as Stetson shot just 2-for-13 from the field overall, including 1-for-6 on 3-point tries.

The one 3-pointer made by Stetson in the third quarter came from McKenna Beach with 8:14 left and gave the Hatters a 34-24 lead. But the rest of the frame belonged to the Highlanders, who held a 17-5 scoring advantage over the remaining 8:14.

The momentum from their strong third quarter carried over early into the fourth for the Highlanders, who took their biggest lead of the day, 43-39, when Grandison connected on a jump shot for the first basket of the fourth quarter with 8:54 remaining.

The Highlanders still led by two after a pair of free throws from Spahn with 7:32 left, but the Hatters replied with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes that put them on top to stay.

Sarah Sagerer's 3-pointer with 5:33 left made it 50-45 for the Hatters, but Olivia Dudley's three pulled NJIT back to within a deuce 21 seconds later.

After some misses by both teams, Saunders drilled a trey for Stetson, but Alana Dudley responded in kind, trimming the deficit to 53-51 with 1:10 remaining.

Dudley scored two more buckets down the stretch, but the Hatters sealed the win by going 7-for-8 at the foul line in the closing 47 seconds. Saunders was 6-for-6 on foul shots in nailing down the win.

A career 83 percent foul shooter, Saunders has scored in double figures every game this season and is the top scorer among A-Sun women, averaging 19.1 points per game.

NJIT, the newest member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, is halfway through an especially difficult opening conference road trip.

Stetson is now 64-7 in its last 71 home games and was picked second out of eight teams in the A-Sun coaches' preseason poll.

Next, the Highlanders will travel south and west across Florida to face preseason favorite Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers on Monday at 7 pm.

FGCU, winner of five consecutive regular season and two straight postseason Atlantic Sun titles, was the unanimous pick to repeat in the preseason coaches' poll.

The Eagles (14-4, 2-0 A-Sun) are fifth in the latest CollegeInsider.com national Mid-Major Top 25.