NEWARK, NJ--NJIT senior forward Danielle Tunstall scored a game-high 21 points but it wasn't enough as Fairleigh Dickinson had three players score in double-digits in the Knights' 68-59 victory Tuesday evening in women's basketball non-conference action at NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
NJIT's three-game win streak was halted Tuesday, moving the Highlanders to 3-7 on the season while Fairleigh Dickinson registered its first win in 2019 season, improving to 1-7.
Tunstall finished with 21 points, shooting 9-for-16 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range while adding seven rebounds. Her 21 points in one-shy her season mark (22 points at Wagner; November 19, 2019) and three shy her career mark (24 at Saint Peter's; November 6, 2018).
Junior guard Ellyn Stoll and reigning ASUN Conference Player of the Week Milena Bajic each chipped in seven points while ASUN Conference Freshman of the Week Kenna Squier and Dani Evans added six points for NJIT. Evans came off the bench and played close to nine minutes, shooting 2-for-3 from downtown.
FDU was paced by Lauren Francillon's team-best 17 points and seven rebounds followed by Rachael Niles (16 points) and Madison Stanely (12 points).
The Knights out-rebounded the Highlanders, 33-to-21, paced by Francillon's seven rebounds, which shared game-high honors with Tunstall's seven boards.
NJIT scored the first two points of the game and went ahead 7-5 on a jumper by Tunstall. FDU closed out the quarter with a 9-0 run, taking a 17-10 lead.
After an FDU jumper to start the second quarter, the home team rallied, scoring seven straight, sparked by a three-pointer by Maria Fux and an Ellyn Stoll jumper, closing the Knight gap to within two, 19-17.
FDU pushed ahead 26-20 with three minutes left in the quarter as the Highlanders pulled within three of the visitors, 28-25, after five straight, capped by a three-pointer by Dani Evans.
At the half, Tunstall led all scorers with 12 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field.
A three-pointer by Stoll at the 5:42 mark in the third quarter cut the Knight deficit to two, 35-33 and NJIT would take its first lead of the second half, 37-36, on a driving layup by Samantha Schultz with four minutes on the clock. The Knights used a 10-0 run late in the quarter, taking its biggest lead of the game, 10, 48-38.
After back-to-back layups early in the fourth quarter by Tunstall and Maddie Martin, NJIT found themselves down six, 52-46, resulting in an FDU timeout at the 6:17 mark. The FDU deficit was cut to four, 54-50, after a pair of free throws made by Squier and second three-pointer of the game by Dani Evans.
With NJIT trailing 59-53 with less than three minutes to go after a three-pointer in the corner by Martin, the visitors outscored the Highlanders 9-6 to secure the teams first win of the 2019 season, 68-59.
NJIT will play its next three on the road, first with a trip up to Burlington, VT on Saturday to face Vermont. Tip-off scheduled for 1pm in ESPN+.
