Big Fourth Quarter Powers Women's Basketball to a 68-63 Win at St. Thomas
A big fourth quarter powered NJIT to a 68-63 road victory at St. Thomas Sunday afternoon in women's basketball non-conference action inside Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.
NJIT, which was down by 10 at the end of the third quarter, 56-46, outscored St. Thomas, 22-7 in the fourth quarter on its way to a 68-63 win. Three players finished with double-figures led by junior Marissa Gingrich's game-best 22 points as the Highlanders improved to 4-1 on the young season. The last time NJIT started out 4-1 was the 2023-24 season.
In addition to Gingrich's 22 points, Olivia Kulyk netted 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and Allison Cannon added 10 on 5-of-7 shooting. Ava Locklear, in her first start of the season in a Highlander uniform, chipped in nine points and grabbed six rebounds.
As a team, NJIT shot 55.3 percent from the field and outr-ebounded St. Thomas 28-to-26 paced by Locklear and Madilyn Dogs with six rebounds each.
Marissa Gingrich scored the opening points of the contest from behind the arc and host St. Thomas used a 10-3 spurt to jump ahead 10-5 at the 6:19 mark. NJIT responded with a run of their own, 11-2, to regain the lead, 16-12, capped by a three-pointer by Gingrich at 3:44. Both teams traded points which saw three ties the final at 20-all and a jumper by Olivia Kulyk put the Highlanders up by one, 22-21, at the end of the first 10 minutes.
St. Thomas took control early in the second quarter, using a 7-2 run and pushed its advantage to six, 33-27, behind a 5-1 spurt just under the five-minute media. Allison Cannon netted four straight points to cut the deficit to four, 35-31, at the 3:15 mark and pulled within three, 38-35, after a tough layup by Gingrich with thirty seconds left in the half.
NJIT's Gingrich led all players after the first 20 minutes with 13 points, followed by Cannon (8) and Olivia Kulyk (7).
The Highlanders pulled within one of the Tommies, 41-40, after a block and fast break layup by Mackenzie Wright Rawls at the 6:01 mark. St. Thomas scored five straight for a six-point lead, 47-41, resulting in a Highlanders timeout. The Tommies scored the final six points of the quarter for a 10-point lead, 56-46.
NJIT opened the fourth quarter scoring seven consecutive points to pull within three, 56-53, on a driving layup by Madilyn Dogs. The Tommies would push its lead to six, 60-53. Over the last 3:49, NJIT went on an 11-2 run (8-0 over the last 2:38) for a 64-61 lead. The Tommies connected on a bucket on the opposite end to pull within one, 64-63, with twenty-five seconds on the clock. On the next possession, Marissa Gingrich was fouled and connected on a pair of free throws to go ahead by three, 66-63, and Locklear connected on a pair of free throws of her own to seal the game and secure the 68-63 victory.
Next Up
The Highlanders will play the next six out of seven contests at home inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. NJIT will host nearby Saint Peter's (Nov. 19), Drexel (Nov. 22) a 17-win team from a year ago, and welcome defending Northeast Champions FDU (Nov. 25) and after the Thanksgiving Holiday, Lafayette (Nov. 30).