NJIT Highlights at Stetson

DELAND, FL—Brittney Chambers registered a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) to lead Stetson to a 73-55 win over visiting NJIT in ASUN Conference action Monday afternoon at Edmunds Center.

Stetson (2-1 ASUN, 11-8 overall) has won six straight and eight-out-of-nine games at the Edmunds Center this season.

Chambers scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the second half on 9-of-14 shooting from the field while grabbing a game-best 11 rebounds, to pace the Hatters on the glass, 47 to 29 against the Highlanders.

Freshman Michelle Pruitt came off the bench for Stetson and netted a career-best 17 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes of action before fouling out of the contest.  Guard Shania Meertens added 12 points (4-of-8) from the field and (4-of-4) from the charity strip to go along with six rebounds.

Megan Vincent pulled down 10 rebounds for the Hatters, including a game-high four blocks.  McKenna Beach added eight points, six rebounds and six assists in the Hatters win.

NJIT (0-3 ASUN, 2-16 overall) was led by senior forward Taj Lewis, who scored 15 points off the bench for NJIT.  Lewis finished 7-for-14 from the field and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.  In the last six games, Lewis is averaging 7.8ppg and is shooting 58.1 percent from the field (18-for-31).

Freshman Dez Allen played a tough all-around game for the Highlanders, chipping in nine points, grabbing four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. 

Redshirt junior Tatianna Torres added eight points, six rebounds and four assists.  Freshman Ellyn Stoll added eight points while Kelly Guarino, making her second start of the season, combined for seven points.

The Highlander defense, scored 13 points off 20 Hatter turnovers and combined for 33 points off the bench.

Stetson took an early 11-6 lead after the first 10 minutes of action and extended its lead to double-digits, 12, 26-14, after a free throw by Pruitt at the 2:08 mark of the second quarter.  NJIT used a 10-6 run sparked by Guarino's lone three-pointer of the contest, slimming the Hatter lead to eight, 32-24, heading into halftime.

The Hatters produced 24 third-quarter points and opened up the second half on an 8-2 spurt, pushing its lead to 14, 40-26, capped by a three-pointer by Chambers.  NJIT cut the Hatter lead to 10 on two occasions the final at 2:18 (48-38) after a layup by Lewis.  Stetson closed out the quarter, scoring six consecutive points and holding a 16-point advantage, 52-38.

The Hatters took its largest lead of the game, 58-39, after a jumper by Chambers at the 9:07 mark in the fourth quarter.  Less than six minutes to play, NJIT used a 6-2 run to cutting the deficit to 13, 64-51, after a pair of free throws made by Guarino.

The Highlanders got as close as 13, 66-53, after one of two made by Allen with 3:09 to play as the Hatters closed out of the game on an 8-2 run for a 73-55 victory.

NJIT will play its next three games in the Wellness and Events Center in Newark, NJ, first hosting Jacksonville on Saturday, January 20 at 1pm.

In the last meeting against the Dolphins, Jacksonville defeated NJIT, 75-59, in Jacksonville, Florida.