Women's Basketball 2/25/2017 12:00:00 AM

Spartans Unable to Hold Off NJIT Comeback

Box Score

Newark, N.J. – Raven Jefferson scored a game-high 29 points but it wasn't enough to hold off a furious NJIT fourth quarter rally as the Highlanders defeated USC Upstate 70-66 on Saturday at the Fleisher Athletic Center.

NJIT improves to 11-18 overall and 4-10 in the ASUN Conference while Upstate falls to 9-20 and 2-12.

Jefferson finished with 20 or more points for the sixth time this season and her 29 points are one shy of tying a career-high. Jefferson grabbed eight rebounds to put her at 501 for her career. Riley Popplewell scored 16 points while grabbing a team-leading nine rebounds. DeNisha Swain finished with 14 points.

Leah Horton led NJIT with 18 points followed by Danielle Tunstall and Tatianna Torres with 13 points. Tunstall led the Highlanders with nine rebounds.

Game Breakdown

Swain got the Spartans on the board as Upstate scored the first five points of the game. An A'Lexxus Davis free throw gave Upstate a 12-3 lead at the 4:48 mark of the first quarter as Upstate led 16-12 at the end of the opening period.
Alana Dudley brought the Highlanders to within four, 18-14, with 8:46 to play before halftime. The Spartans went ahead 31-19 on a Popplewell layup with 5:59 remaining. Upstate led 41-29 at halftime.
A pair of Dudley free throws cut the Spartan lead to six, 46-40, with 6:04 to play in the third quarter. Swain's 3-pointer at the 2:27 mark gave Upstate a 53-44 edge before a Popplewell free throw sent Upstate into the fourth quarter with a 58-51 lead.
The Spartans led 64-56 with 5:42 to play following a Swain layup. NJIT went on a 7-0 run to pull within one, 64-63, following a Torres layup with 4:11 remaining. Jefferson answered with a jumper at the 3:32 mark to give Upstate a 66-63 lead before Dudley gave the Highlanders a 67-66 lead with 2:34 remaining. Upstate came up empty on its final three possessions as a Horton free throw with two seconds remaining sealed the win.

By the Numbers

NJIT finished 27-for-55 (49.1 percent) from the field while Upstate went 21-for-54 (38.9 percent).
NJIT outrebounded Upstate 34-30.
The NJIT reserves outscored the Upstate bench 25-1.

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