NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT women's basketball team will travel to Bryant on Saturday afternoon in America East women's basketball action.
Last Time Out
The NJIT women's basketball team earned a 68-57 home victory over UMass Lowell in America East Conference women's basketball action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Education Day.
Sophomore Olivia Kulyk led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and knocking down four three-pointers to go along with six rebounds. Transfer Ava Locklear combined for a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-11 from the field to go along with four steals. Allison Cannon filled up the box score, chipping in 13 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals. Alejandra Zuniga added nine points and dished out a new career-mark of 10 assists.
New Women's Basketball Attendance Record
NJIT hosted its annual Education Day game Thursday morning in front of 2,326 grade school students from 27 schools from Essex and Bergen County. The 2,326 fans is a new attendance record for a women's basketball (Education Day & Non-Education Day) games.
Quick Hits
–The Highlanders 12 wins have come against UMass Lowell, New Hampshire, UMBC, Delaware State, Lafayette, Sacred Heart, Fordham, St. Thomas, and home wins against Wagner, Saint Peter's Manhattan, and Drexel.
–The 12 overall wins marks the fifth consecutive season with double-digit wins.
–The nine non-conference wins are the most in the NJIT DI era.
–NJIT started out the season 10-4, which marks the best start in the NJIT Divi
sion I era and best start since the 2005-06 season.
–In the last two seasons, NJIT has won the America East Conference opener.–Senior Alejandra Zuniga tallied a program-record 39 points at UMBC on January 1, 2026 for the Highlanders first conference win of the 2026 season.
–Sophomore Allison Cannon registered a triple-double (14pts, 11ast, 10reb) against Lafayette on November 30, which marked the first triple double in NJIT Division I era and the third triple double all-time.
–Sophomore Olivia Kulyk leads the America East Conference in overall three-point field goals made (46) and tops the conference in three-pointers per game (2.7). She sits fourth in the conference in scoring at (15.7ppg).
–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 has scored 80 or more points in three games this season.
–The Highlanders have had four players score in double-digits in five games this season.
–NJIT started the 2025 season 6-1 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
Bryant leads the all-time series, 6-3. NJIT has won the last two out of three meetings between the two teams.
Making a Name in the Record Books
Alejandra Zuniga, from Madrid, Spain, is a three-time America East Conference All-Conference selection, and has scored 1,489 career points which ranks her second in the Division I era at NJIT and third all-time. The all-time leading scorer at NJIT is Jessica Gerald (2007-11) with 1,504 career points. Zuniga needs 15 points to tie the record and 16 to become the all-time points leader.
Program Record in Points for Alejandra Zuniga
NJIT rang in the New Year with an America East Conference road win at UMBC, 80-75, behind senior Alejandra Zuniga's historic night, scoring a program-record 39 points in the league opener Thursday evening inside the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in women's basketball action.
Zuniga's program-record 39 points, broke the long-standing record of 37 points set by Jessica Gerald on January 8, 2008 vs. CSU Bakersfield. The 5-foot-6 guard from Madrid, Spain, finished 13-for-16 from the field and 12-of-16 from the free throw line. Her 13 field goals tied the single season program record set by Jessica Gerlad (13 vs. CSU Bakersfield; January 8, 2008).
Her 39 points are also the most by an America East Conference women's basketball player since Shareesha Richards scored 41 points for UAlbany on February 25, 2026.
First Triple Double in NJIT Division I Era; Third All-Time - Allison Cannon
Sophomore Allison Cannon registered NJIT's first triple double in 29 years as the Highlanders earned a 71-60 home victory over visiting Lafayette Sunday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
Recording 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, Cannon now owns one of three triple-doubles in NJIT women's basketball history. Her 11 assists were two shy of the NJIT single-game program record. The last triple double in Highlander history dates back to 1996 by Kristie Simpson vs. St. Joseph's, 2/19/96 (22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals) and by Lauren Battista vs. Old Westbury, 1/28/95 (10 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists).
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).
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.
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 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.
Scouting Bryant
Bryant enters Saturday's contest with a 14-4 overall record, 4-1 in the America East. The Bulldogs seven-game win streak was snapped on Thursday night in Baltimore as the Retrievers defeated the Bulldogs 55-47 for Bryant's first loss in conference play.
The Bulldogs have four players –Mia Mancini (13.6ppg), Nia Scott (12.2ppg), Mimi Rubino (11.3ppg) and Maranda Nyborg (10.6ppg) averaging double-figures.
Scott tops the team with 8.8rpg while Mancini has connected on 40 three-point field goals.
Next Up
NJIT will play the next three at home, first welcoming UMBC on January 22 at 6pm. In the first meeting of the season, NJIT picked up an 80-75 road win behind a program-best 39 points from Alejandra Zuniga.
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.
