Box Score
NEWARK, NJ – University of North Dakota extended its win streak to eight games with a 59-49 victory over NJIT Sunday afternoon at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center in Great West Conference women's basketball action.
NJIT (11-14, 5-3 GWC) ends its home portion of its schedule honoring four seniors in pregame ceremonies -- Kathryn Wighton, Kehinde Oyelola, Taiwo Oyeloa and Katie Piekielski. North Dakota, who suffered its only conference loss vs. South Dakota (Jan. 23) improve to (14-13, 9-1 GWC).
The Fighting Sioux were paced by Whitney Ledger and Mallory Youngblut posting two double-doubles. Ledger, a senior forward, finished with 18 points and tied her career-high 13 rebounds to post her fourth double-double of her career. Youngblut, a junior, led the Fighting Sioux with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Youngblut, the 5-foot-10 guard also set a career-high sinking six three-pointers from behind the arc and finished with a game-high five blocks. Senior Kayla Bagaanson, the Fighting Sioux leading scorer on the season tallied 12 points.
The Highlanders got a game-high 20 points from junior Jessica Gerald. With Sunday's 20 points, Gerald now stands fifth on the NJIT scoring list with 1,088 career-points. The other double-figure scorer for NJIT was Taiwo Oyelola notching her eighth career double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
NJIT scored the first basket of the game on Gerald's three-pointer at 19:40 but North Dakota scored the next seven points for a 7-3 lead. Point guard Melanie Griffin knocked down a three-pointer at 13:36 pulling within one of the Fighting Sioux, 7-6.
North Dakota stretched its lead to 12 over the next 6:30 for a 20-8 score led by Youngblut's six points. NJIT rallied for eight consecutive points with 3:53 left in the first half, 20-16, on a three-pointer by Gerald. Gerald scored six of the Highlanders eight points in the run. The Fighting Sioux closed out the half on a 9-4 run for a 29-20 halftime score.
Youngblout led all scorers with 12 points followed by Ledger with 10 for the Fighting Sioux. Gerald scored nine for the Highlanders.
Both teams went back and forth in the opening eight minutes and NJIT would cut the Fighting Sioux lead down to five, 42-37, on a lay-up by Taiwo Oyelola at 14:29.
North Dakota went on a 9-1 run over the next five minutes for a 51-38, at the 8:35 mark on Youngblout's three-pointer. Forward Ivana Seric sparked a 7-2 spurt for the Highlanders on a jumper in the paint, slimming the lead down to eight, 53-45, with 5:34 remaining in the contest.
The Highlanders would get as close as seven, 54-47, at the 3:45 mark, on a layup by Taiwo Oyelola. North Dakota scored its final five points at the free throw line for a 59-49 score.
NJIT will close out the regular season on the road first visiting Utah Valley on March 4 in Orem, Utah at 5pm. Saturday the Highlanders will travel to Chicago State for a Noon tipoff and end at University of South Dakota on Sunday at 6pm in the final conference regular season game.
The Highlanders defeated both Utah Valley and Chicago State earlier in the season and will face South Dakota for the first time on Sunday. South Dakota and NJIT were originally scheduled to play on February 13 but the winter storm that hit cancelled flights throughout the nation, including from Newark, and made it impossible for NJIT to get flights to the Dakotas.
