EASTON, PA – NJIT women's basketball made program history Wednesday night, improving to 4-0 for the best season-opening start in program history with a hard-fought 64-60 road victory over Lafayette inside Kirby Sports Center.
The Highlanders used a dominant 20-7 third quarter to take control of the contest before holding off a late Lafayette rally to secure the four-point victory.
NJIT forced 15 turnovers while committing just nine, resulting in a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Ava Locklear paced the Highlanders with a double-double, recording 16 points and 12 rebounds to go along with two blocks. Marissa Gingrich reached double figures for the fourth consecutive game, finishing with 14 points, three assists and two steals. Mia Gestosani, Piper Engelby and Mackenzie Wright Rawls each contributed eight points.
NJIT faced an early challenge, trailing 17-11 after the opening quarter as Lafayette shot 8-of-15 from the field and held a 14-8 advantage in points in the paint.
The Highlanders responded in the second quarter, narrowly outscoring the Leopards 20-19. NJIT scored 12 points in the paint and added seven points off five Lafayette turnovers while committing just one turnover of its own. Lafayette connected on all three of its three-point attempts in the period, and Tasha Chudy's jumper at the buzzer sent the Highlanders into halftime trailing 36-31.
NJIT took control coming out of the break, putting together a game-changing 20-7 third quarter. The Highlanders shot 6-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while taking care of the basketball with zero turnovers. Defensively, NJIT limited Lafayette to just 1-of-11 shooting and held the Leopards scoreless from three-point range (0-of-4) to take a 51-43 advantage into the final quarter.
Lafayette made a late push, outscoring NJIT 17-13 in the fourth quarter while holding a 12-6 rebounding advantage, including six offensive boards. Locklear came up big down the stretch, contributing six points, six rebounds and a block in the period. After Reneyia Pickering knocked down a three-pointer to pull Lafayette within two at 62-60, Locklear calmly converted two free throws with seven seconds remaining to seal the 64-60 victory and preserve the Highlanders' perfect start.
NEXT UP
NJIT will conclude its three-game road stretch on Saturday, November 14, when the Highlanders travel to Hanover, New Hampshire, to take on Dartmouth.
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