Zuniga Hits 1,000 Point Milestone, 13th Highlander in 1K Club

Junior Alejandra Zuniga scored her 1,000 career point in the fourth quarter on a driving layup but the Highlanders could not overcome a 13-point deficit as visiting Monmouth registered a 63-54 road victory Monday evening in women's basketball non-conference action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.

Zuniga entered the night at 985 career points and became the 13th Highlander to score 1,000 career points after a tough driving right-handed layup with 2:38 left in the game.

Monmouth, winners of four straight, improved to 4-6 on the season while Highlanders have lost its last seven, including the last four by nine or less points, moving to 2-9 on the year.

Zuniga finished the game with 17 points, six assists and two rebounds followed by reigning America East Rookie of the Week Olivia Kulyk (13) and Madilyn Dogs (10). Graduate student Aria Myers chipped in six points.

Kulyk and Dogs each grabbed five rebounds each and Audrey Kormann pulled down five.

Monmouth's Taisha Exanor combined for a double-double, scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds and Belle Kranbuhle added 11 points.

NJIT got out of the gates quickly, jumping ahead 7-2 and 10-3 into the under-five media timeout. After an Aria Myers three-pointer at the 6:03 mark, Monmouth scored eight straight for a one-point lead, 11-10.

Monmouth used a 6-0 spurt midway through the second quarter to push its lead to seven, 27-20, at the 3:02 mark. Alejandra Zuniga scored four straight points for NJIT to cut the deficit to three, 27-24.

At the half, Monmouth led by six, 30-24, paced by a game-high Belle Kranbuhl's 10 points while Zuniga scored nine points through the first 20 to lead NJIT.

The Hawks extended its lead to double-digits, 10, 34-24, at the 8:01 mark of the third quarter but four straight points by Madilyn Dogs cut the lead back down to single digits, nine, 37-28, resulting in a Monmouth timeout at the 6:25 mark. Zuniga connected on a three-pointer from the right wing, trimming the Hawks lead to eight, 39-31, at the six-minute mark. The reigning America East Rookie of the Week Olivia Kulyk pulled the Highlanders within 10, 44-34, knocking down a three-pointer from the top of the arc at the 1:33 mark.

NJIT scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, slimming the Hawks lead to as many as five, 44-39, on a three-pointer by Aria Myers and a jumper by Zuniga at the elbow cut the lead to five, 46-41, resulting in a Monmouth timeout at the 7:42 mark. The Hawks scored six consecutive over the next for a 52-41 advantage with 5:03 on the clock. NJIT used a 7-2 spurt capped by a three-pointer from Olivia Kulyk for a 54-48 score with less than two minutes to play.

In the stretch of the Highlanders run, Zuniga scored her 1,000 career point, becoming the 13 player in program history to reach 1,000 points.

The Hawks pushed its lead back up to 10 late in the fourth quarter and secured the 63-54 road victory.

Next Up
NJIT will visit Wagner Dec. 12 before breaking for Christmas and will close out the 2024 calendar at LIU Monday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. in Brooklyn.