January 19, 2006

Box Score

WATERBURY, CT - New Jersey Institute of Technology scored 22 of the game's first 24 points and went on to a 79-66 road win over Post University in a meeting of two of the top women's basketball teams in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Thursday night. The Highlanders were sparked by 31 points from freshman guard Jill Dickinson.

The win for NJIT was its fourth straight and fifth in the last six games. The Highlanders are 10-4 overall and 8-3 in the CACC. Post, which came in having won four in a row, dropped to 8-6 overall and 7-4 in the CACC.

Dickinson's 31-point outburst, which came in 29 minutes of action as a reserve, included 8-for-16 shooting from the field, with 5-for-12 shooting on three-point tries. She was also 10-for-17 at the foul line.

The freshman's 31 points were the most for an NJIT woman since Kelly Crowe netted the same total last March 4 vs. Holy Family.

Dickinson exceeded her personal college scoring high by 20 points, having scored a previous high of 11 vs. Goldey-Beacom on December 3. She has been in the playing rotation all season, but her minutes have increased over the last four games with junior guard Erika Velez sidelined due to injury.

In addition to Dickinson's 31 points, the Highlanders got 13 points and 11 rebounds from senior center Selena Kershaw. Kelly Crowe and Jackie McCaffrey had 4 assists apiece, while Crowe and Dickinson led NJIT with 3 steals apiece.

Marjorie Prado led Post with 20 points and 6 assists, while Jen Rose came off the bench for 12 points, hitting 4 of 8 three-point shots. Tadj Williams grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for the Eagles.

The Highlanders took control from the start, seizing a 22-2 lead following McCaffrey's layup with 9:51 left in the first half. The sophomore helped fuel the start by scoring nine points in the opening run.

NJIT maintained a double-digit lead over the last 14:45 of the first half and held a 40-25 advantage at the break. Dickinson was high scorer at halftime, with 10 points, followed closely by McCaffrey (9 points), Kershaw (8) and Jessica Vogel (7).

Still trailing by 10 with 6:44 left, Post threw a scare into NJIT, closing to within six, 63-57, with 5:16 left. But the Highlanders answered Post's 7-0 run with an 8-0 run of their own, pushing the lead back to 71-57 on Aine O'Dwyer's jumper with 2:36 left.

NJIT will host Dominican on Saturday at 1 pm. The game in the Fleisher Athletic Center will open a CACC doubleheader, with the Highlander men taking on Dominican at 3 pm.