The NJIT Highlanders Women’s Basketball Team (19-13, 9-7 America East) ended its historic 2025-26 season with a hard-fought 59-52 loss to Army West Point (25-7) in the WNIT Second Round at Christl Arena in West Point, New York.

Alejandra Zuniga, in her final game as a Highlander, tallied a game-high 17 points, while Marissa Gingrich supplied 13 points, and Olivia Kulyk added 12 points.

Coach Mike Lane said, “We started well, but their offensive rebounding hurt us. We didn’t rebound well and gave up extra possessions.” 

“Tonight we had 21 turnovers, like at Merrimack, but we couldn’t outlast that against Army. We had only nine shots in the second quarter and ten in the third—we didn’t get enough shots.” 

“I’m proud of the girls—this was a great game and a fun tournament. It hurts today, but we set a program record for wins and a postseason victory. I told them in the locker room we got to play today.” 

NJIT trailed 13-7 with less than six minutes remaining in the first quarter, but then erupted for an emphatic 19-0 blitz the rest of the quarter. Marissa Gingrich ignited the offense with netting 11 points while burying three trifectas. The Highlanders ended up shooting a sizzling 76 percent in the quarter.

“That’s the way you want to start an away game, and Army had not played in a while, and everybody was scoring, and we were sharing the ball, NJIT Head Coach Mike Lane explained. “People were moving, and we were getting stops.” 

Then Army West Point broke a prolonged scoring drought that lasted over seven minutes in the second quarter on a pair of free throws by Kya Smith.

The Highlanders managed to maintain their double-digit lead until with less than five minutes left when the Black Knights cut the game to single digits at 30-22 on a jump shot by Kya Smith. The Army was able to get back into the game with points off turnovers and knocking down shots at the free-throw line.

NJIT answered with under three minutes left on a coast-to-coast layup by Marissa Gingrich, then led 35-24 at halftime after Alejandra Zuniga hit two free throws.

In the third quarter, momentum shifted as the Black Knights found rhythm, shooting 61 percent and scoring inside and out. Army West Point’s ferocious defense forced the Highlanders into committing numerous turnovers. NJIT shot only 30 percent from the field.

Despite the surge by the Black Knights, NJIT was sparked by Alejandra Zuniga, who totaled eight points in the quarter, including a layup and free throws. Heading into the final frame, the Highlanders were up 45-41. 

“Coach Lane noted, “We lost composure and started to stress. We built a lead but then watched the scoreboard. Army scored at will—we couldn’t stop them, and they kept it simple.”““It’s tough to lose a double-digit lead. We need a killer mentality to put teams away and find that maturity. It’s a good lesson moving forward.”In the fourth quarter, Army West Point picked up where they left off in the third quarter with a 6-0 spurt to reclaim the lead at 47-45 with six and a half minutes left on a layup by Camryn Tade.

NNJIT trailed 49-46 with four minutes left when Kulyk hit a three to tie it. Then, Army West Point quickly answered with consecutive layups by Kya Smith and Taylor Wilson.

The Highlanders, displaying a lot of grit and determination, narrowed the deficit down to one on a trey by Alejandra Zuniga with a minute and a half left on the clock. 

Army West Point ignited a rebuttal by dominating the paint and rebounding, as Reganne Reardon hit a critical layup with a minute left and a 55-52 lead. The Black Knights hit four free throws in the last 11 seconds to seal the victory.

“Coach Lane stated, “You won’t win giving up 38 points in the paint. We needed to defend better. We gave Reardon and Tade 25 points at that spot.”Now, the Highlanders look ahead to the 2026-27 season. Coach Lane said, “We want to go further; that’s our goal. These seniors established a legacy we’re proud of. It’s fulfilling to see their success, and we’re proud of the team’s accomplishments.”

Our alumni, athletic department, and fans are proud. The team has grown from last year. We have a bright future, most of the roster returning, and an incoming freshman class. We’ll discuss the roster, as all programs do, and are excited for the two freshmen joining us.” We’ll likely look to add one or two players from the portal for size, as we lost Audrey(Kormann) this year. Maddie (Dogs) and Olivia (Kulyk) played well. We have several sophomores playing for two years and two freshmen who were hurt, so there are unknowns. That’s what the off-season is for, and we’re excited for next year.”