FINAL SCORE: Vermont 63, NJIT 61
NEWARK, N.J. – Vermont (19-5, 8-1 AE) defeated NJIT (13-9, 4-5 AE) on Saturday afternoon at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. Nikola Priede recorded her second double-double of the week and nailed a buzzer-beater to lift the Catamounts to a victory.
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Box Score
COACH'S QUOTE
"I just think there's a lot of really great players on this floor," said Mayer Women's Basketball Head Coach Alisa Kresge. "NJIT is scary in every position, and they made us work for everything. It's one of those games you hate to see anyone lose, big-time players, making big-time plays. I'm proud of our players for staying with it. Defensively, it was not our best performance, so we'll have to get back to the drawing board."
HOW IT HAPPENED
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NJIT opened the game on an 11-4 run through the 5:35 mark of the first quarter, with Alejandra Zuniga scoring seven of the Highlanders' first 11 points.
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The Catamounts responded with an 8-6 run to close the opening quarter. Jacklynn Hosier sparked the stretch with a pull-up jumper, and Malia Lenz capped it by drawing a foul and converting one free throw.
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Vermont began the second quarter with a 5-2 run as Jadyn Weltz found Lenz streaking ahead for a transition layup, and Keira Hanson connected on a three-pointer from the left wing in transition. The burst trimmed the Highlander lead to two with 7:21 remaining in the half.
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Priede followed with eight straight points from the 6:26 to the 3:28 mark, pushing the Catamounts in front, 25-21.
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NJIT answered with a 4-3 run to close the half, sending Vermont into the break with a 28-25 advantage.
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The Catamounts extended their lead in the third quarter, going on a 13-10 run from 9:40 to the 5:39 mark of the third. Priede and Weltz combined for 11 of the 13 points, prompting an NJIT timeout.
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Out of the break, Hanson found Weltz for a three-pointer from the wing before Weltz returned the favor with an entry pass to Priede for a layup. Vermont carried a 53-43 lead into the final quarter.
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NJIT rallied in the fourth, using a 16-5 run from the start of the quarter to the 1:03 mark. Allison Cannon's floater gave the Highlanders a 59-58 lead.
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Hanson answered with a three-pointer with 32 seconds remaining to put the Catamounts back in front, 61-59. Zuniga responded for NJIT, driving to the basket for a layup with two seconds left.
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After a Catamounts timeout, Emma Haan inbounded the ball to Priede in the paint. Priede secured the pass with her right hand after it was deflected and hit a turnaround jumper as time expired, lifting Vermont to a 63-61 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Priede recorded her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 26 points on 13-of-20 (65.0%) shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
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Hanson and Lenz each added 11 points to pace the Catamounts.
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Jadyn Weltz contributed eight points, a team-high seven assists, and six rebounds.
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Vermont held the edge in shooting, going 27-of-59 (45.8%) from the field compared to NJIT's 25-of-58 (43.1%) mark. From the free-throw line, the Catamounts were 4-of-7 (57.1%), while the Highlanders went 6-of-12 (50.0%). Both teams shot 5-of-14 (35.7%) from three-point range.
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With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Ronald McDonald House through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative. Vermont Mutual has donated over $6 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund in 2014.
UP NEXT
UVM returns home to face Maine at Patrick Gym on Thursday, Feb. 5, for its second Catamount Classroom game of the season, presented by All States Materials Group. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will be available via the Varsity Network App with Ryan Zimmerman on the call.
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont Women's Basketball