Jan. 28, 2008

Despite having three Lady Broncs finish in double figures, NJIT was to much to handle as they handed UTPA a 65-56 setback at the Fleisher Athletic Center this evening.

The Lady Broncs dropped their seventh straight game and fell to 8-13 on the season.

LeKeisha Gray recorded a team-high 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 2-of-6 from behind the arc to go with seven rebounds, two assists and four steals in 39 minutes of action.

UTPA opened the first half with several buckets and controlled the pace most of the way as they led by as many as 12 points following a three-pointer by Gray at the 6:49 mark, to make the score 22-10.

The Highlanders made their way back in the game as they cut the deficit to four points, to make the score 26-22 heading into intermission.

The Lady Broncs shot 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from the field compared to 26.7 percent (8-of-30) for the Highlanders.

Jessica Gerald fired a three-pointer in the opening minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to within one at 26-25. Gerald led NJIT with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 4-of-8 from three-point range, 6-of-8 from the free throw line to go with three rebounds, three assists and one steal.

The Lady Broncs were unable to find their stoke as the Highlanders keep their momentum rolling and lead by as many as 10 points following Gerald's third trey with 4:19 remaining in the game, to make the score 54-44.

UTPA never recovered and was forced to foul the Highlanders in the final minute of the game which led to their seventh straight loss and 13th for the season.

UTPA finished shooting 34.7 percent (17-of-49) from the floor to 33.3 percent (19-of-57) for NJIT. The Lady Broncs connected on only one three-pointer in the second half compared with six for the Highlanders.

Maria Ben Erlingsdottir recorded 12 points on 2-of-5 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe to with five rebounds while Teshay Winfrey chipped in with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

The Lady Broncs will be back in action on Friday (Feb. 1) when they take on Longwood at the UTPA Fieldhouse with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.

UTPA Sports Information