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 Dickinson sinks five from behind the arc |
March 7, 2008
EDINBURG, TX - Trailing by eight points with 6:24 left, NJIT outscored host Texas-Pan American, 20-2, the rest of the way for a 59-49 win on day two of the national Division I Independent Tournament on Friday.
Freshman Jessica Gerald (20 points) and junior Jill Dickinson (16) combined for 36 of NJIT's 59 points and the Highlanders recorded their third win of the season over host Texas-Pan American.
Friday's game marked the extraordinary third meeting between NJIT and Texas-Pan American. The first time was on January 9 in Edinburg, where the Highlanders recorded their first road victory of the year, winning 67-61. On January 28 in Newark, NJIT had a second half eruption and pulled away for a 65-56 win.
Gerald, announced as the Division I Independent Newcomer of the Year at the pre-tournament barbecue, scored 10 points in each half for her team-leading 20 points.
Dickinson scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half. Included were seven points in the decisive 20-2 closing run. Gerald also scored seven in the final kick.
Six of Dickinson's points in the 20-2 spurt came on a pair of three-point baskets that were among five treys she made in the game to tie her personal high. Back on January 19, 2006 when the Highlanders were competing at the Division II level, Dickinson posted five three-pointers against Post University (CT).
Reserve forward Kehinde Oyelola added eight points and notched a game-high nine rebounds in 22 minutes of action, as NJIT outrebounded the home team, 41-33. Taiwo Oyelola, chipped in six points while pulling down seven rebounds.
Senior Erika Velez dished out a game-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds.
The Broncs were led by junior center Robin Garrett, who fired in 14 of her points in the second half and finished with 20 and a team-high 8 rebounds. Senior guard LeKeisha Gray added seven, while three different Broncs chipped in six points.
Texas-Pan American built its largest lead of the first half on a fast break layup by Rose Esther Jean at 8:34, giving the Broncs a six-point lead, 21-15. But NJIT finished the half with a 15-9 advantage, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Kehinde Oyeloala the left the teams deadlocked at the half, 30-30.
Texas-Pan American opened up the second half on a 6-0 spurt, but Dickinson stopped the Broncs run hitting her second three-pointer at the 17:24 mark.
After Garrett's lay-up at 16:04, neither team scored until Dickinson sank her third three-pointer with 13:45 left on the clock, bringing the Highlanders within two, 38-36.
Texas-Pan American rebuilt its lead back up to eight on two different occasions, the last coming with 6:24 left on the clock, 47-39, after Garrett's jumper in the paint.
Velez answered Garrett's bucket 16 seconds later and NJIT scored the game's next 18 points before Garrett finally got the home team back on the board on a layup with 34 seconds left, nearly six minutes since her previous tally.
The Highlanders will close out the season on Saturday at 3:30pm (CT) against Utah Valley in the final day of the Division I National Independent Championship.
Utah Valley topped the Highlanders in the teams' first meeting of the season in Orem, UT, 78-69, but the Highlanders recorded an impressive win over the Wolverines, 82-72, in the return game in Newark. Utah Valley came into that contest with a record of 15-7 and in the previous season, the Wolverines had twice defeated NJIT by 31-point margins in the first year of competition between the schools.
