JACKSONVILLE, FL—Jacksonville had three players score in double-figures, paced by a double-double from Trudy Walker – 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Dolphins in 69-55 ASUN Conference win over visiting NJIT Saturday afternoon at The Historic Swisher Gymnasium.
 
The win moves Jacksonville to an even 7-7 in the league, 14-13 overall while the Highlanders have now lost 10 straight, moves to 2-11 in the conference, 5-21 on the season.
 
In addition to Walker's 16 points, Kiara Meeks combined for 16 points followed by Jasmyn Brown, who netted 14 points.  The 11 rebounds for Walker was a game-best.  Meeks added six steals and five assists for the Dolphins.
 
NJIT was led by Ellyn Stoll's 14 points, who connected on 4-of-8 from three-point range while adding four assists.  Graduate student Tatianna Torres finished with 13 points and three bounds followed by junior forward Danielle Tunstall with 11 points, four rebounds and two steals.  Sophomore forward Dez Allen added six points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Highlanders.
 
Jacksonville got things going right out of the tip, scoring the first eight points, resulting in an NJIT timeout.  Sparked by a driving layup by Dez Allen, Ellyn Stoll knocked down a three-pointer at the top of the key as the Highlanders scored five straight for a 8-5 score.  After a three-pointer by Kiara Meeks, the visiting Highlanders went on a 7-0 run, to take its first lead of the game, 13-12, after a three-pointer by Stoll and NJIT held a 16-15 lead on a trey ball by Stoll with 44 seconds.
 
Stoll continued her momentum into the second period, knocking down a three-pointer at the 9:40 mark and four straight points from Milena Bajic, extended the Highlander lead to give, 24-16.  Jacksonville scored 16 unanswered points for a 32-24 advantage.  NJIT's Stoll sank a pair of free throws with 6.3 seconds to break the ice as the Highlanders went into the half, trailing, 32-26.
 
Stoll led all scorers at the half with 14 points on 4-of-5 from downtown followed by five points from Danielle Tunstall.  Meeks led the Dolphins with 10 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Jacksonville's Jasmyn Brown opened the scoring in the third quarter as the Highlanders scored six consecutive points, cutting the Dolphins lead to three, 35-32, after a jump shot in the paint by Allen at the 7:50 mark.  Neither team scored for the next two minutes, until Shalonda Neely sparked a quick 5-2 spurt for the home team, taking a 40-34 lead just under the five-minute media.
 
NJIT cut the Dolphins deficit to four, 42-38, after a pair of free throws sank by Kelly Guarino, after a technical foul was issues to Jacksonville and a jumper in the paint by Tatianna Torres.  The Dolphins finished on a 5-2 run in the final two minutes, taking a 47-40 lead, heading into the fourth stanza.
 
Jacksonville pushed its lead to double-digits, scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter, 54-42, at the 8:01 mark.  A pair of back-to-back layups by the Highlanders slimmed the lead to 10, 54-44, the closest NJIT would get to Jacksonville.  The Dolphins took its largest lead 16, 66-50, and held on for a 69-55 victory.
 
NJIT has three games remaining in the regular season and need to finish in the top eight of the ASUN Conference to secure a spot in the eight-team postseason tournament.
 
The Highlanders currently sit in eighth, just above Lipscomb, who the Highlanders defeated on January 15, 80-67, in Newark.  The two teams will face each other in Nashville on February 27 at 6:30pm (CT).