Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. – Houston Baptist got a career-high 16 points from Tayler Jefferson in her return to the lineup and the Huskies outscored NJIT 27-26 and shot better than the Highlanders, 39 percent to 30 percent, in the second half, but the Huskies could not come back from a large halftime deficit in a 62-41 loss in the Great West Conference Quarterfinal game Thursday evening from the Jones Convocation Center.

Jefferson led all players with 16 points for HBU (1-27), as she played 38 minutes and had two assists and three steals in her return to the lineup. She had missed the last two games due to an injury. Joselyn Pugh scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Huskies.

Rayven Johnson led NJIT (12-16) with 13 points, which all came in the first half, as the Huskies shut her down in the second. Sarah Olson scored 12. Martina Matejcikova grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

“NJIT shot the ball well, so it was hard to recover, but our kids played hard and finished some plays,” said head coach Mary Gleason. “We are looking forward to being a healthy, full squad next season and the future is bright for HBU basketball.”

NJIT hit 12 three-pointers in the game, two shy of its season high against Manhattan, and the most against a GWC team.

Olson scored the game's first points on a three-pointer. The Huskies cut the deficit to one on a jumper by Maisie Elston. The two teams tied 5-5 to make the score 8-7 NJIT with 15:28 remaining before Nicole Maticka scored five points herself, sandwiching a Jefferson jumper to make the score 15-9 with 12:07 remaining.

Following a media timeout, NJIT scored 12 unanswered to lead 25-9 with 6:50 left in the opening half. A Mollye Mlcak free throw broke the streak, but Johnson made a jumper to make the score 31-13 with 4:45 left in the first half. Johnson scored 10-straight points for the Highlanders in that span.

A Jefferson jumper made the score 33-15 Highlanders, but Maticka hit a jumper with 29 seconds remaining in the half to make it a 20-point deficit for the Huskies. The Highlanders had the last shot, but Jefferson stole the ball and went in for a breakaway layup, but the shot was tardy of the final horn by a second, as the two teams entered halftime with NJIT leading 35-15.

Jefferson led HBU with seven points, followed by Elston with five. Brittany Barton Joselyn Pugh each led with three rebounds. Johnson led all scorers with 13 points in the first half, while Matejcikova was tops with four rebounds.
NJIT started the second half on a 13-7 run to lead the Huskies 48-22 with 12:27 remaining in the game.

Five-straight points by Jefferson seemed to spark a Husky comeback, as HBU outscored NJIT 11-3 as the Huskies trailed the Highlanders 51-33 with 6:47 remaining.

A Jelena Zoric three gave the Highlanders a 21-point lead, 54-33, but the Huskies continued to battle, scoring seven of the next 11 points to trail NJIT by 17, 57-40, with 3:35 left in the game. Jefferson scored four of the points, then, following a Pugh block, Elston nailed a three in transition.

The Huskies could get no closer, as Uju Nwankwo hit two free throws to give NJIT a 21-point advantage. Pugh hit a jumper with 11 seconds remaining to make the score 61-42.

NJIT will now face second-seed Utah Valley in the GWC semifinals on Fri., Mar. 9 at 5 pm.