NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT women's basketball team will conclude its four-game homestand on Sunday, welcoming Lafayette.

Game Information 
Tip off is slated for 1pm inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on ESPN+ with in-game statistics available on NJITHighlanders.com.

Quick Hits
–The 6-1 start for NJIT was the best start in program history.  In 2023-24, NJIT started out the season with a 4-1 mark with its lone loss coming against No. 10 ranked Notre Dame.
–The Highlanders six wins came at Sacred Heart, Fordham, St. Thomas, and home wins against Wagner, Saint Peter's and Drexel.
–The 48-point win margin of victory over Saint Peter's on November 19 is the most against a Division I opponent since 2012.
–The 82 total points at Fordham on November 7 are the most points scored by the Highlanders this season.–NJIT started the 2025 season 3-0 for the first time in program history.
--In the last four seasons, NJIT has won the season opener and started 1-0.

All-Time Series
Lafayette leads the all-time series, 8-1. The Leopards have won the last eight match ups. The lone win for the Highlanders dates back to the first all-time meeting in 2006.

Last Time Out
Visiting FDU topped NJIT, 71-43, in non-conference women's basketball action Tuesday evening inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.

Olivia Kulyk and Marissa Gingrich led the way for NJIT, scoring nine points while Avery O'Roke came off the bench to score eight points.  Ava Locklear pulled down a team-best seven rebounds and Allison Cannon grabbed six rebounds and chipped in six points.

Highlanders News & Notes
–Senior Alejandra Zuniga was selected to the America East Preseason All-Conference team.   Last season, Zuniga was picked to the America East first team, as a sophomore she was named to the second team and during her freshman campaign, Zuniga earned America East Rookie of the Year, America East Third team, America East All-Rookie team honors. She is coming off a season which saw the Highlanders guard ranked third in the league in scoring (16.0ppg), third in assists (3.4), fifth in free throw percentage (65.0%) and fifth in field goal percentage (44.0%).
–The 2025 America East Rookie of the Year, Olivia Kulyk is back for her second season in a Highlander uniform after a strong freshman campaign which saw her be named a 10-time America East Rookie of the Week selection, which ties the America East Conference record, has scored in double-figures in 19 contests, including a career-best 21 points and 12 rebounds against Binghamton on January 2, 2025. She ranked second in the league in three-point field goals per game (1.9) and 13th in the conference in scoring (9.7).
–NJIT returns 11 from a season ago after a fifth-place finish in the America East standings with an 11-19 overall mark, 8-8 in the league.  The 11 wins were the fourth straight double-digit win for the Highlanders in the last four years.
–Head Coach Mike Lane enters his eighth season at the helm of the Highlanders.

Returning Starters
Alejandra Zuniga, G – 16.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Olivia Kulyk, G – 9.7ppg, 4.6rpg, .38.8 % 3PT
Marissa Gingrich, G – 6.1ppg, 3.6rpg
Madilyn Dogs, G – 4.5 ppg, 4.1rpg

Largest Margin of Victory Since 2012
The 48-point margin of victory against Saint Peter's (Nov. 19) is the most against a Division I opponent since February 18, 2012, when NJIT defeated Houston Baptist by 60-points, 88-28.  In 2023-24, NJIT defeated Wagner by 44-points (NJIT 80, Wagner 36).

Making a Name in the Record Books
Zuniga, from Madrid, Spain, is a three-time America East Conference All-Conference selection, and has scored 1,314 career points which ranks her third in the Division I era at NJIT and fifth all-time.  The all-time leading scorer at NJIT is Jessica Gerald (2007-11) with 1,504 career points.

New Career-High for Olivia Kulyk
The reigning America East Conference Rookie of the Year Kulyk set a new personal-best mark at Fordham from the Atlantic 10, netting 25 points on 5-of-6 shooting from downtown in the Highlanders 82-78 road victory on November 7, 2025.  Kulyk has combined for three 20+ performances and is averaging 15.6ppg and 5.1rpg. 

Rising Junior Marissa Gingrich
Through the first eight games, Gingrich has scored in double-digits in six out of eight contests, including a career-best 23 points at home vs. Wagner (11.11.25).  She has combined for at least one rebound in all six games, including a career-best seven rebounds vs. Wagner (11.11.25).

In the first two games, Gingrich, the Highlanders point guard has scored in double-digits (13 at Sacred Heart) and (16 at Fordham) a new career-best for the guard from Mifflin, PA.  She has combined for back-to-back games with six rebounds and dished out five assists at Fordham.

Gingrich is averaging 14.8ppg, 3.6rpg and shooting 50% from the field while combining for three 20+ performances.  

Sophomore Spotlight Allison Cannon
Allison Cannon has played in all eight games, including five starts while averaging 8.9ppg and 3.1rpg while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.  She has scored in double-figures in the last five out of six games, including a season-best 11 points at Big Ten opponent Minnesota (Nov. 14).

New Kids on the Block
NJIT added four newcomers to the 2025-26 roster with three freshmen and one transfer. Mia Gestosani hails from Somerset, NJ, Addison Shen from Concord, MA, Lauren Lee from New Port Richey, FL and Ava Locklear a transfer from Tiffin, IA. 

America East Conference
NJIT will begin its sixth season in the America East and will play a schedule of 16 conference games against the other eight schools.  The Highlanders became the 10th full member of the America East on July 1, 2020 and were selected to finish eighth in the 2024-25 preseason coaches poll.

The Highlanders, which made its fifth consecutive appearance in the 2025 America East postseason tournament, concluded its season with a 11-19 overall mark and 8-18 in the America East.

Fans will once again be able to watch every #AEHoops home game on The AE on ESPN with all games airing on ESPN+ or ESPN3 domestically and AmericaEast.TV internationally.

Scouting Lafayette
Lafayette enters Sunday's contest with a 4-3 overall mark.

The Leopards, which dropped its first three games of the 2025 season, have won the last four straight, most recently a 76-59 victory at Pittsburgh.  

Lafayette has four players averaging double-figures led by Teresa Kiewiet's 13.8ppg.  She has recorded double-digit points in the four out of five games thus far.  Tasha Chudy tops the team on the boards at 5.8rpg.

Next Up
The Highlanders will hit the road and head down the Garden State Parkway and face Monmouth on December 3. Tip-off is slated for 5pm on FloSports.

Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Women's Basketball season by following @NJITWBB on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Women's Basketball page on Facebook.