NEWARK, NJ–With the game tied at 61 with 2.9 seconds, Vermont Nikola Priede won it at the buzzer to lead the Catamounts to a 63-61 road victory at NJIT in America East Conference action Saturday afternoon inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
The game tied at 61 with 2.9 seconds left, Vermont floated the ball into the post, finding Priede who controlled the ball after NJIT's Ava Locklear got a hand on it but Priede turned towards the basket on the baseline and elevated over the Highlander defense netting the game winner to edge the Highlanders.
NJIT down by as many as 14 in the third quarter, 51-37, battled its way back and finished the third quarter on a 6-2 run, cutting the lead to 10, behind six points from Olivia Kulyk.
With less than eight to go in the fourth quarter, NJIT went on a 18-6 run and tied the game at 61-all on a tough bucket by Alejandra Zuniga with three seconds left to go in the contest.
The Highlanders (13-9, 4-5 America East) were led by three players combining for double-figures – Alejandra Zuniga (27), Olivia Kulyk (19) and Allison Cannon (11). Ava Locklear led the Highlanders on the boards with eight rebounds while Madilyn Dogs grabbed seven.
NJIT scored the first six points of the game from three-point range and extended its lead to 9-2 on a layup by Alejandra Zuniga at the 6:15 mark. Vermont went on a 7-2 spurt to cut the deficit to two, 11-9, just under the five minute media. NJIT finished the final 3:35 on a 6-3 run to take a five-point lead after the first 10 minutes of action, 17-12.
Ava Locklear scored the first bucket of the second quarter but Vermont closed the Highlander gap and took its first lead of the game, 21-19, and used a 16-2 run over the span of 7:05 for a 28-21 lead. NJIT scored the final four points of the quarter, inching their way back into the contest, 28-25, heading into the locker room.
Zuniga led all scorers with 13 points and Nikola Priede paced Vermont with 11 points. Ava Locklear and Priede topped all players with six rebounds.
NJIT used a 6-2 run midway through the third quarter, pulling within one, 36-35, on a three-pointer by Olivia Kulyk at the 6:15 mark. Vermont answered, scoring 10 straight and used a 15-2 run over a span of 3:43, taking a 14-point lead, 51-37, with 2:30 to play. Kulyk connected on back-to-back three-pointers, slimming the Vermont lead to 12, 51-43, with a minute to go.
Vermont, winners of six straight, improved to 19-5 overall, 8-1 in the America East. Leading the way was Priede who registered a double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) while dishing out five assists followed by Malia Lenz (11) and Keira Hanson (11).
At halftime, the NJIT Athletics and the Highlander Women's Basketball team honored the memory of their teammate, Amber Morgan '19, who tragically lost her life to a senseless act of domestic violence in the Summer of 2024.
Next Up
NJIT will hit the road for a pair of games, first visiting UMass Lowell on February 5 (6pm) and Binghamton on February 7 (12pm).
In the first meetings against both teams this season, NJIT defeated UML on January 15, 68-57 while Binghamton topped the Highlanders in a come-from-behind win, outscoring the Highlanders 24-11 in the fourth quarter and down by as many as 17, to roll to a 74-71 road victory at NJIT.
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