NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — The NJIT Highlanders used a decisive second-half surge to defeat the Maine Black Bears 63-42 in a women’s America East conference game Saturday at Fleisher Athletic Center.

NJIT outscored Maine 36-20 after halftime, pulling away for the home victory before a crowd of 281. Adrianna Smith led Maine with 24 points and 15 rebounds. NJIT’s Ava Locklear posted 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Olivia Kulyk added 19 points and nine rebounds.

The win improved NJIT to 16-10 overall. Maine fell to 14-12.