NJIT Highlights at Fairleigh Dickinson (YouTube)

HACKENSACK, NJ—Junior forward Danielle Tunstall scored a team-best 15 points for visiting NJIT but it wasn't enough as Fairleigh Dickinson outscored the Highlanders, 17-3, in the fourth quarter on its way to a 64-43 win in non-conference women's basketball action at The Rothman Center.

FDU (2-2) was led by junior center Lauren Francillon, who combined for a career-best 18 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field while grabbing a six rebounds off the bench for the Knights.  Peniel M'BiBikata added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

Tunstall, the Highlanders only double-figure scorer, scored 15 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists. She finished 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from the free throw line.

The 5-foot-11 forward has scored in double-digits in three of the Highlanders first five games this season, including a double-double in the season opener against Saint Peter's (24pts, 14rbs) to pace the Highlanders in scoring at 11.0ppg. 

On the glass, she has grabbed at least five rebounds in four-out-of-five games and sits atop the Highlanders with 5.4rpg.

In addition to Tunstall, Ellyn Stoll scored seven points followed by Dez Allen and Milena Bajic, who came off the bench to add six each.

Trailing 31-27 at the half, the Highlanders rallied back to pull with three of the Knights on two different occasions late in the third period, the final at 43-40, after a layup by Bajic with :51 seconds on the clock.  Fairleigh Dickinson sank four straight free throws to take a seven-point lead, heading into the final quarter.

Fairleigh Dickinson sophomore Madison Stanley scored the first five points of the fourth quarter for the Knights before freshman Lindsey Mack drained a long three-pointer from the wing with the shot clock expiring to go up 13 with 5:42 left, 55-42.

The Highlanders were then held to just one point in the last six minutes of play as the Knights controlled the game the rest of the way.

NJIT scored the opening four points of the contest but the home team used an 11-0 run to push ahead 11-4 at the 4:30 mark.  NJIT slimmed the Knight lead to five, 15-10, after a jumper in the paint by Jillian Libby.

Fairleigh Dickinson took a 10-point lead in the second quarter, 24-14, at the 8:05 mark.  Ellyn Stoll sparked an 11-2 run, knocking down a three-pointer with 7:52 on the clock and bucket by Milena Bajic brought the Highlanders to within one, 26-25, with 3:26 to play.  The Knights closed out the second quarter on a 6-2 spurt, heading into the locker room with a 31-27 advantage. 

Fairleigh Dickinson's Francillon led all scorers at the half with 11 points while NJIT's Tunstall was the top scorer with eight points and four rebounds.

NJIT will open the home portion of its schedule on November 24, hosting the NJIT Thanksgiving Classic. 

The Highlanders will host two first-time opponents Western Carolina from the Southern Conference on November 24 and Southeast Missouri State from the Ohio Valley Conference on November 25.