Late Run Leads Big Green Past NJIT in Thriller, 61-60

Thursday, December 11

Newark, N.J. / Wellness and Events Center

6:00 PM

Dartmouth College

6-2,0-0Ivy League

NJIT

8-4,0-0America East

Dartmouth

NJIT

Late Run Leads Big Green Past NJIT in Thriller, 61-60

12/11/2025 10:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Dartmouth scored 14 of the game's final 20 points

By: Justin Lafleur

NEWARK, N.J. — Trailing by seven with less than 5:30 remaining, the Dartmouth women's basketball team scored 14 of the game's final 20 points to steal a 61-60 win at NJIT on Friday evening. Cate MacDonald led the offense with a game and career-high 16 points, while Sierra Carson had a career-high 12 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining.

Sierra Carson FOR THE LEAD!

Gameday Central ➡️ https://t.co/ajJvdveBy4 #GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/5o5HpPFlLS
— Dartmouth Women's Basketball (@DartmouthWBB) December 12, 2025

The win pushed Dartmouth's record to 6-2, which matches the program's best start since 2017-18 when the Big Green were also 6-2 after eight games.

The win was a quality one for Dartmouth, over an NJIT team that entered with an 8-3 record, including 5-1 at home. The Big Green improved to 3-1 on the road this season, with wins at Boston University, Siena and now NJIT. It's their best start to a season away from home since the 2005-06 season.

After Dartmouth scored just seven first-quarter points, Carson was a spark in the second quarter in tallying seven of the Big Green's 17 in the stanza. Then MacDonald scored nine of Dartmouth's 16 third-quarter points. The Big Green's greatest scoring output was in the fourth when they had 21, led by six from Olivia Austin.

Defensively, Dartmouth held the Highlanders to their third fewest points all season. NJIT entered having averaged 67.1 points per game.

Score: Dartmouth 61, NJIT 60
Records: Dartmouth (6-2, 0-0 Ivy League), NJIT (8-4, 0-0 America East)
Location: Newark, N.J. (Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness & Events Center)
Date: Sunday, December 11, 2025
Attendance: 201

UP NEXT:

The Big Green quickly return to action on Saturday evening at Iona on Saturday at 7 p.m.

FIRST QUARTER:

Alexandra Eldredge opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, but the Big Green scored just four points the rest of the quarter.
NJIT extended its lead to 13-5, but an Austin layup pulled Dartmouth within 13-7 after 10 minutes of play.

SECOND QUARTER:

The Highlanders' lead reached 10 early in the second quarter at 19-9, but the Big Green responded with a 15-5 run, with 11 of the points coming from Carson and Nina Minicozzi.
A Minicozzi 3-pointer, her second in the span of 2:26, evened the score at 24 with 2:02 left in the quarter.
NJIT led 26-24 at the half.

THIRD QUARTER:

In the early stages of the third, Ozel and MacDonald hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to begin the third, with an NJIT layup in between, to turn a four-point deficit into a 32-32 score.
Later in the quarter, the Big Green retook a lead after two Ozel free throws made the score 36-34 in favor of the visitors. After that, there were three ties, but NJIT couldn't retake the lead in the stanza.
The teams went to the fourth tied at 40.

MacDonald 3-pointer pulls us even at 32!

Gameday Central ➡️ https://t.co/ajJvdveBy4 #GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/hoU0l2w5I8
— Dartmouth Women's Basketball (@DartmouthWBB) December 12, 2025

FOURTH QUARTER:

Ozel began the fourth with a three for a 43-40 Dartmouth lead, but the Highlanders responded with a 14-4 run.
An Allison Cannon layup gave NJIT a 54-47 lead with 5:21 remaining, but that's when the Big Green began to chip away.
An Austin layup began the run. About two minutes later, MacDonald scored five points in less than a minute, including a 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down.
With Dartmouth trailing 58-56, Carson connected on a huge 3-pointer to put the Big Green in front 59-58 with 1:15 on the clock.
The Big Green got a stop defensively, then out of a timeout, MacDonald found Austin for a layup and a 61-58 lead.
NJIT had one last chance, down one with just over two seconds remaining, but Olivia Kulyk's shot was no good and the Big Green escaped with the thrilling 61-60 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

For the game, Dartmouth shot 35.8% from the floor (24-of-67), including 42.9% from 3-point range (9-of-21).
NJIT finished at 44.1% (26-of-59) and 33.3% from behind the arc (6-of-18).
The Big Green held a 43-34 edge in rebounds, including 18-9 in offensive boards.
Carson finished with seven points in the second quarter on 3-of-5 shooting. MacDonald had nine in the third on 4-of-5 shooting.
With nine more rebounds, MacDonald is up to 55 over her last six games (9.2).
The 61 points marked Dartmouth's second most against a Division I opponent this season (only behind 65 at Siena).
The Big Green's 37 second-half points and 21 fourth-quarter points marked their most in any half and quarter this season against a Division I opponent.