NEWARK, N.J. – The Manhattan Jaspers women’s basketball team (0-9), despite a Division I-best outing from Colette Mulderig, fell to the Highlanders of NJIT (8-3) by a final score of 71-54 inside the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED


Colette Mulderig netted two of Manhattan’s first three buckets, the first coming off the assist from Agar Farrés Garcia.
Kristina Juric chimed in on the scoring to give the Jaspers an early 9-8 lead.
NJIT scored six straight points to end the quarter, taking a 16-11 advantage after one.
Going down by as much as 15 midway through the second frame, the Green and White began to chip away courtesy of two Brianna Davis layups.
Davis continued her run to extend to 11 straight points for Manhattan, upping her total to 13. 
Just before the halftime horn, Mulderig posted a new Division I high in scoring in only 14 minutes of play with 12, as the Jaspers now trailed by only five.
For the third time in as many quarters, Mulderig scored the first points in the third, getting the visitors within one possession.
The Highlanders renewed their double digit advantage after seven unanswered points, but the Jaspers responded with eight of their own, capped off by a Hana Mühl layup. 
Juric notched a pair of free throws to get back within single digits before the third quarter came to a close. 
NJIT extended their lead out once more midway through the fourth quarter, as the Highlanders’ Ava Locklear scored a pair of buckets including a shot beyond the arc to put the hosts up 14. 
Elisa Solé Sanchez knocked down the second three-pointer on the day for the Jaspers, but the home team proved to be too much to keep up with, winning by 17 at the final buzzer.

STATS AND NOTES


Graduate forward Colette Mulderig found a new career-high with 19 points on nine-for-11 shooting, swatting a pair of shots on the defensive end as well.
Senior guard Brianna Davis scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game, knocking down six field goals including one from beyond the arc.
Junior forward Kristina Juric converted on four of her six chances from the free throw stripe, scoring 10 points in her third double-digit outing of the season.
Senior guard Hana Mühl led the way in rebounding with a season-high of six.
Manhattan shot at its best rate in the second quarter, with a 53% clip.

NEXT UP:

Manhattan will continue its 2025-26 campaign on Friday, December 19 when the Jaspers travel to Hamden, Conn. to take on the Bobcats from Quinnipiac to begin MAAC play. Action is scheduled to take place from M&T Bank Arena starting at 11 a.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription, as well as NESN on linear television.

Read Full Article