NJIT Highlights vs. Lipscomb | 1.15.19

Post Game Comments with Coach Lane

WBB Wrap Up with Assistant Coach Gratch

NJIT's Annual Education Day

NEWARK, NJ--Graduate student Kelly Guarino scored a team-high 20 points, leading four double-figure scorers in the Highlanders 80-67 home victory over visiting Lipscomb in ASUN Conference action at NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.

NJIT, which hosted its annual Education Day game Tuesday morning, surpasses its win-output from a season ago, improving to 5-11, 2-1 in the ASUN in front of a capacity crowd of 1,903 grade school students from various local schools.  Lipscomb, on a 14-game skid, falls to 2-15 overall, 0-4 in the ASUN.

Guarino, who scored 12 of her 20 points in the second half, finished 4-for-10 from three-point range and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.  Her five assists is a season-best mark.

In addition to Guarino, graduate student Tatianna Torres, just missed posting a double-double, netting 16 points and nine rebounds.  Torres led the game dishing out seven assists and the Highlanders as a team finished with a season-best 24.

Junior transfer Milena Bajic finished with 13 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-for-7 from the field, including two blocks while classmate Danielle Tunstall scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. 

Sophomore Dez Allen combined for nine points, seven rebounds and a personal-best four blocks in 22 minutes of action off the bench for the Highlanders.  As a team, NJIT finished with a season-best 11 blocks.

Lipscomb guard Lauren Rau put together a strong performance against the Highlanders, scoring a game-high 27 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field, 2-for-3 from downtown and 9-of-12 from the free throw line, including five assists and three steals.

The Lady Bisons other double-figure scorer was forward Taylor Clark, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 5-of-10 from three-point range.  Jane Deason shared game-high honors with NJIT's Torres, pulling down nine rebounds.

In a high-scoring first quarter, the first 10 minutes was knotted at 22-all.  NJIT held the Lady Bisons to just four points in the second quarter, taking a 10 point lead into the half, 36-26.

Torres and Guarino paced the Highlanders with nine and eight points respectively in the first 20 minutes.

To begin the third quarter, Lipscomb mounted a 12-2 run, which slimmed the Highlander lead to two, 40-38, with 7:14 on the clock, behind three three-pointers by Clark.  NJIT answered with a 12-1 run of its own to close out the final 4:29, sparked by a jumper by Bajic and capped on a fast break layup by Torres, pushing the Highlander lead to double-figures, 55-42.

NJIT kept it momentum into the fourth quarter, holding a comfortable lead and taking its largest lead of the contest, 16, 62-46, at the 6:35 mark and secured it fifth win of the season with an 80-67 victory.

NJIT will return to action on Saturday, hosting Jacksonville at 1pm, as part of a doubleheader with the NJIT men in NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.  The NJIT men will face the Dolphins at 4pm on ESPN+.