NJIT Highlights at Lafayette 

EASTON, PA--Sophomore Lyzi Litwinko scored a career-high 20 points but it wasn't enough as Lafayette held off visiting NJIT, 71-64, Saturday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action inside Kirby Sports Center.

Lafayette picked up its second straight win of the season, improving to 3-5 on the year while the Highlanders moved to 4-5 on the season.  The last two road losses for the Highlanders (at Rider and Lafayette) have been decided by seven or less points.

Prior to the pair of losses, NJIT had won four-out-of-five games, beginning with a 61-49 victory over Big Ten opponent Wisconsin on November 14, 2021 and followed up with back-to-back wins over LIU and Central Connecticut State and home victory over Saint Peter's.

The Leopards were led by a pair of 20-point performances -- Jessica Booth and Makayla Andrews.  Booth finished 8-for-15 from the field, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists.  Andrews went 8-for-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds for the home team.

Litwinko, who set a new personal-best mark with 20 points, finished 7-for-8 from the field, 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and added two rebounds. Fifth-year Ellyn Stoll was the Highlanders other double-figure scorer with 15 points and added three assists.  Sophomore Aria Myers came off the bench and scored six points and added four rebounds in 23 minutes of action.

Lafayette got off to a quick 6-0 start in the opening two minutes.  NJIT's Litwinko scored the Highlanders first seven points and Stoll capped a 10-3 run with a three-pointer for the visitors first lead of the game, 11-10.  The Leopards used a 12-4 spurt to close out the quarter ahead, 23-17.

The Leopards opened the second quarter on fire, outscoring the Highlanders 15-6, for a 38-23 score, resulting in a Highlander timeout at the 5:20 mark.  NJIT used an 8-0 run in the final 5:26 to close the Leopards gap to single digits, 38-31, heading into the half.

Lafayette's Andrews led all scorers with 12 points while NJIT's Litwinko led the Highlanders with nine points followed by Stoll (eight points) and Evans (six points).

NJIT pulled within five of Lafayette after a 5-0 run, behind four points by Litwinko for a 47-42 score with 3:03 left to go in the third quarter.

Stoll sank a pair of free throws to start the fourth stanza, cutting the Leopard deficit to four, 55-51.  The Leopards pushed its lead back to eight, 61-53, just under seven minutes to play but  NJIT used a 5-1 run, to cut Lafayette's deficit to three, 63-60, on a driving layup by Stoll.

Lafayette extended its lead to seven, 67-60, just under the two minute mark and the Highlanders would get as close as four, 68-64, after a pair of free throws made by Litwinko.

NJIT will return home inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center, hosting Monmouth on Wednesday, December 8 at 7pm.  The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.