HENNIKER, N.H. – The Johnson State College women's basketball team was defeated by New England College 63-54 in their first North Atlantic Conference (NAC) game of the season on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers fall to 2-3 and are 0-1 in the NAC, while NEC improves to 4-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.
1st Quarter
The Pilgrims jumped out to an early 13-4 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but three made baskets by Kasey DeGreenia (Concord, Vt.) over the final five minutes of the first brought the Badgers to within three with a 13-10 score.
2nd Quarter
NEC went on a 16-8 run over the first six and a half minutes of the second to take a 29-18 advantage. The scoring pace slowed over the remainder of the half, with each team picking up just two points to bring the score to 31-20 in favor of the home team.
3rd Quarter
The Badgers battled through the third quarter to bring the score to within three at the end of the period. Domonique Carter-Stanley's (Norwalk, Conn.) six points helped Johnson bring the score to 45-42 going into the fourth.
4th Quarter
Johnson was unable to make another run in the fourth, as NEC pulled away with the 63-54 victory.
Johnson Leaders
DeGreenia led Johnson with a 19 point, 13 rebound double-double. Carter-Stanley added 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds for Johnson. Ashley Goddard (Jamaica, Vt.) also picked up double-digit rebounds with 10.
Nichols Leaders
Marjani Lillard led the Pilgrims with 17 points, ten rebounds, and four assists, with Utshana Durham chipping in 10 more points for NEC.
Stat Breakdown
Johnson held a slight edge in field goal percentage, shooting 35.0% to New England College's 32.8%. Neither team was strong from beyond the arc, with NEC holding a 22.2% to 13.3 % advantage. Rebounds were nearly even, as the Pilgrims held a narrow 46-43 edge. The NEC bench was strong, scoring 21 to Johnson's six.
Next Up
The Badgers will host Castleton on Thursday, December 8th in a NAC contest at 7:30 p.m. in Carter Gym.