DURHAM, NH--A late rally for NJIT fell short Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire, 76-67, in America East Conference women's basketball action inside Lundholm Gymnasium.
Sunday marked the third meeting this season between the two teams as both teams split a pair of games back in December.
New Hampshire (5-11, 5-8 America East) used balanced scoring in the victory over the Highlanders as five players reached double-figures led by Amanda Torres (15pts), Ivy Gogolin (14pts, 10rebs), Adara Groman (12pts), Helena Delaruelle (11pts) and Brooke Kane (11pts, 10rebs).
NJIT's (4-13, 4-9 in America East) Kenna Squier led all scorers with 16 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the free throw line followed by Ellyn Stoll (15pts) and Lyzi Litwinko, who combined for her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists. Freshman Kiana Brereton chipped in nine points and three rebounds in 18 minutes of action off the bench.
Led by Squier at the free throw line, NJIT shot 72% (18-for-25) for the game.
New Hampshire scored the first six points of the contest in the opening 90 seconds of action as NJIT's Maria Fux scored the Highlanders first points on a jumper in the paint off the glass. The Wildcats went on a 9-2 run, extending its lead to 13-6 but the Highlanders scored the final five points of the period on a trey ball from Stoll and a pair of free throws from Squier, slimming the UNH lead to four, 19-15.
To start the second period, New Hampshire took an 11-point lead, 30-19, behind an 8-3 spurt, capped by a three-pointer by Amanda Torres, resulting in an NJIT timeout. Over the next 4:54, New Hampshire used a 10-2 run for a 38-22 advantage. NJIT's Stoll scored five points in the final 2:22 as the Highlanders headed into the locker room trailing 45-29.
New Hampshire finished the first 20 minutes, shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range (8-for-18). Stoll led all scorers with 13 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range. The Highlanders went 11-for-13 from the free throw line, paced by Squier who went 6-for-6 in the first half.
The two teams traded baskets to begin the third stanza and the Highlanders scored four straight after a layup by Fux and a pair of free throws by Squier, cutting the Wildcat deficit to 14, 51-37.
Freshman Kiana Brereton scored six quick points to open the final period for the Highlanders, cutting the New Hampshire lead to 14, 62-46, in the opening two minutes. NJIT, down by as many as 18, closed the Wildcast gap to seven, 65-58, at the 2:07 mark on a layup by Brereton.
New Hampshire pushed its lead back to double-digits, 12, 73-61, with :32 seconds remaining. NJIT gave it one more push as freshman Aria Myers connected on a three-pointer for a 73-64 score, with :19 seconds left but the Wildcats would hold on for the 76-67 win and move into fifth place in the America East standings.
NJIT will return to action on February 13-14 when the Highlanders host Binghamton inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center. Sunday will mark Senior Day for lone senior Ellyn Stoll.
