VIDEO: NJIT Highlights vs. LIU
VIDEO: Post Game Interview with Ellyn Stoll and Mike Lane
VIDEO: Post Game Wrap with Mike Ventola and Assistant Coach Sara Mitchell
Photo Gallery
NEWARK, NJ--Led by fifth-year guard Ellyn Stoll's game-best 24 points, the NJIT women's basketball team picked up its second win of the season with a 59-53 overtime victory over visiting LIU inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center Thursday evening.
NJIT, coming off the program's first-ever win over a Big Ten opponent Wisconsin on Sunday, November 14, made it two in a row with the win over LIU, evening the NJIT record to 2-2 on the young season while LIU dropped to 0-3.
"We talked in the locker room before the game, this was going to test how mature we are as a program and that's exactly what that game was," fourth-year head coach Mike Lane added. "We played great defense the last 18 minutes of the game. Kimi (Evans) hit the glass, Maria (Fux) hit the glass - the game was won with defense tonight."
NJIT outscored LIU in overtime, 10-4, behind Stoll's four points and Maria Fux and Trinity Williams pulling down big rebounds in the final minutes. NJIT scored the first seven points of the overtime and kept their composure to the final buzzer.
Stoll, from Point Pleasant, NJ, registered 24 points, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point range (50%) in 41 minutes of action. The 24 points for Stoll is a season best and one-shy her personal-best mark of 25 at Kennesaw State (2.29.20).
"It was really great coming off the Wisconsin win - we had a lot of momentum off that win," Stoll added. "We were looking to attack the LIU pressure and my guards found me on the three-point line, which was helpful and got a lot of energy into all our players."
Redshirt senior Kimi Evans and junior Kenna Squier chipped in 10 points each. Evans shot 4-for-6 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds while Squier added four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Forward Maria Fux pulled down career-high 9 rebounds and shared game-high honors with LIU's Erykah Russell. Russell was the lone Shark double-figure scorer with 12 points.
NJIT got off to a quick 7-0 start, paced by five points from fifth-year Ellyn Stoll and extended the Highlander lead to 11-3, on a layup by Kimi Evans at the 3:33 mark. LIU rallied back, cutting the NJIT deficit to five, 15-10, using a 9-4 spurt.
A low-scoring second quarter for both teams, LIU outscored the Highlanders, 10-7 and held NJIT scoreless for 8:09. NJIT scored the final three points from the free throw line, heading into the half with a four-point lead, 24-20.
Stoll led all scorers with nine points, shooting 2-for-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Russell paced the Sharks with five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action off the bench.
Trailing 24-20 at the half, LIU opened the third quarter on a 14-4 spurt, to take its first lead of the game, heading into the under five minute media, 34-28. A layup by Trinity Williams sparked a 7-0 run for the Highlanders to regain the lead, 35-34, on a fast break layup by Kenna Squier.
A back-and-forth affair to start the fourth quarter, LIU used a 7-2 run over the next 2:15 to take a 49-46 lead, behind five points by Brandy Thomas. Stoll connected on a three-pointer with 1:08 on the clock to knot the game at 49-all.
NJIT scored 17 points off turnovers and 16 on second chance points while edging the Sharks on the glass, 45-to-40.
NJIT will hit the road for a pair of games at Central Connecticut State (November 21 at 1pm) and Fairleigh Dickinson (November 24 at 1pm).
