NEWARK, N.J. - Despite 20+ point performances from seniors Keonna Farmer and Tesh Hanson, North Florida women's basketball fell behind early and never recovered as NJIT grabbed a 75-65 win at the Wellness & Event Center on Monday evening.

QUICK GLANCE
Score: North Florida 65, NJIT 75
Records: North Florida (9-11, 2-3 ASUN) | NJIT (3-17, 1-4 ASUN)
Location: Newark, N.J. (The Wellness & Event Center [WEC])
The Short Story: North Florida struggled at the line and NJIT excelled from long range to grab its first ASUN victory.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
FINAL BOX SCORE PDF

OPENING TIP

• For the seventh straight game, senior Keonna Farmer topped the team with 26 points. It was her 11th time leading in scoring and has now scored in double figures in 15 of the last 16 games. She narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while also leading the team with a game-high three steals.
• Classmate Tesh Hanson had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while dishing out three assists on the night.
• Senior Maiya Rumph helped create opportunities for her teammates as she recorded a career-high six assists, while recording two blocks and eight rebounds.

GAME CAPSULE
First Half Trends

• NJIT got on the board and did not look back in the first half as it led 15-7 after the first.
• The Highlanders limited the Ospreys to just two field goals in the opening 10 minutes, before UNF came back and hit nine in the second.
• The hosts took their biggest lead of the game on back-to-back triples from Kelly Guarino, but the Ospreys shrank the lead to five with a 6-0 run.
• North Florida controlled the ball in the second quarter as it had just one turnover, but struggled from the line, hitting just 6-of-17, which would more than make the difference of the NJIT 37-29 lead at half.

Second Half Trends

• After trading points to open the third, North Florida eventually whittled the score down to four on a bucket from Tesh Hanson to make it 43-39 wth 2:10 to play. 
• NJIT answered with a 7-2 run to take a 51-41 advantage into the final frame.
• The Ospreys kept in striking distance early in the fourth, but a 6-0 swing from NJIT gave the hosts their biggest lead of the game and they never looked back.
• UNF went on a quick 6-0 run of its own, but Guarino answered with a trey on the other side after a charge was called on the Ospreys' side of the floor.
• North Florida battled to within seven, two times down the stretch, but each time the Highlanders had an answer and eventually went on to take the win.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Farmer had a season-high 16 first-half points.
• UNF shot a season-low 44 percent from the line, while NJIT went 18-for-25 for a 72 percent clip.
• The Ospreys shot 43 percent from the field, but struggled from long range hitting just two. NJIT dropped nine long balls on the day led by Guarino's five.
• NJIT owned a 41-38 edge off the glass, but UNF grabbed 15 second chance points to the hosts nine.

UP NEXT
The Ospreys continue on the road for their next game as they travel to in-state foe Stetson on Saturday, Jan. 27 for a 1 p.m. game at the Edmunds Center.