NEWARK, N.J. – Lafayette women's basketball continued non-conference action at NJIT on Sunday, resulting in a 71-60 defeat at the hands of the Highlanders. Backcourt partners Teresa Kiewiet and Talia Zurinskas combined for 41 points in the loss. Kiewiet led the way with a season-high 23 points on 8-15 shooting.

The contest began with a 6-0 surge from the hosts, after Ava Locklear and Olivia Kulyk both drained early triples. Kiewiet got the Maroon and White on the board with a mid-range jumper with 6:43 to go. Another pair of triples from the hosts handed them a 10-point lead (12-2), but Lafayette found its groove later in the period. Trailing by nine points (17-8) with 1:21 on the clock, senior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize (3) and Kiewiet (2) both knocked down big shots to reduce their deficit to four points (17-13) after 10 minutes.

Lafayette kept its foot on the gas coming out of the break, battling with the Highlanders each trip down the floor. At the 7:35 mark, Zurinskas hit a floater to bring the Leopards back within five points (22-17). The visitors were behind by six points with 4:21 remaining in the half when NJIT got going. The hosts put together a 10-6 run to conclude the quarter, leading 40-30. Locklear paced the Highlanders in a 23-point period with eight points on 4-6 shooting.

Head coach Kia Damon-Olson's squad made it a six-point game (40-34) coming out of halftime, courtesy of a bucket from junior forward Tasha Chudy and a pair of free throws from Kiewiet. Freshman guard Haylie Adamski made a nice pass to setup Kiewiet for an easy layup with 7:31 left, but the hosts refused to back down. A 7-0 run fueled by Locklear and Kulyk put NJIT back in the driver's seat (49-36) with just under five minutes left in the stanza. Trips to the charity stripe late in the period kept Lafayette within striking distance (53-43).

It was all Leopards as the fourth quarter commenced. An 11-4 run erased any breathing room for NJIT, thanks to baskets by Kiewiet, Ntaconayigize and Zurinskas. However, the Highlanders immediately responded with a 9-0 spurt, granting themselves a 13-point lead (67-54) with 4:29 to go. The Maroon and White gave all they had, but at the final horn NJIT collected its seventh win of the season and Lafayette dropped to 4-4.

Cold shooting from downtown and hitting the glass were key to Sunday's result. The Leopards made just three of their 17 attempts from deep, while the hosts shot an efficient 44.0 percent (11-25) from long range. Lafayette was also outrebounded 47-31 in the loss.

The Leopards are back on the road at 7 p.m. on Thursday as they make their way to Teaneck, N.J. to face FDU.
 

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