Feb. 24, 2008

Box Score

SAVANNAH, GA - Taiwo Oyelola and Jessica Gerald combined for 30 of NJIT's 58 points but it wasn't enough to hold off Savannah State's Patrice Robinson as she led with game-high honors posting 20 points and pulling down 15 rebounds en route to a 65-58 victory Monday night at Tiger Arena in women's basketball action.

With 2:06 remaining on the clock, the Highlanders found themselves down one, 57-56. Savannah State scored eight of the last 10 points of the game to rally for its fourteenth win of the season.

Robinson the 6-foot junior forward finished the night with 20 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks while Antionette Williams and Ivy Smith each added 13 points. Smith dished out a game-high eight assists and recorded eight steals.

Taiwo Oyelola posted her fifth double-double of the season scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as teammate Gerald finished with 15. Junior point guard Jackie McCaffrey and Ivana Seric added nine points. Seric finished one-point and three-rebounds shy a double-double. Senior Erika Velez recorded a season-high five assists.

NJIT took a 9-6 lead in the opening minutes, on a three-pointer by Gerald who banked it off the glass from the left wing. Savannah State's head coach Cedric Baker took a 30 second timeout to organize his team.

The Highlanders took advantage of the timeout scoring six straight points -- led by freshman Seric with four points.

Savannah State rallied back to within two points of the Highlanders on a jumper in the paint by Antionette Williams, making the score, 19-17. NJIT's Gerald came down and hit one-of-two from the free throw line giving the Highlanders a three-point advantage.

Robinson answered with a 15 foot-jumper from the baseline bringing her team back into the game and down one, 20-19, at the 5:20 mark.

With less than 3:20 left in the first half, the score became knotted three times, the last with 1:17 left on a jumper by Robinson.

Taiwo Oyelola scored the last points of the first half hitting a shot in the paint, as NJIT went into the locker room up one, 28-27.

The Highlanders opened up the second half on a 9-4 run, going up 37-31, led by Gerald with four points. Neither team scored over the next two minutes until Robinson hit her 15th point of the game with 16:40 left in the game.

The score was tied four times over the next four minutes as LaShara Smith hit a three-pointer tying the game, 42-42, for the seventh time of the night.

The momentum then swung and NJIT found themselves down by six, 51-45, on another jumper by LaShara Smith, at 8:15.

NJIT fought back finding forward Taiwo Oyelola in the corner as she sunk a threee-pointer to close the gap. On the next play down the court, McCaffrey made an acrobatic lay-up tying the game at 56.

The Highlanders return to action on Sunday when they travel to Farmville, VA to take on Longwood at 2pm.