BANNER

The Badgers second half pressure sliced into a Norwich lead, but their comeback bid fell short in an 82-62 loss Saturday at Barre Auditorium.

SUMMARY

Saturday's opening frame saw the Badgers counter a strong Norwich offense, as Drew Phillips knocked down a three at 14:24 to make it 9-5 and Jaylen Brown added a pair of free throws at 9:23 to keep the Badgers within striking distance through the quarter. Darone Frierson's first triple at 9:02 cut the gap to 24-13 before adding another at 5:36 to make it 32-18. Brown's steal and layup at 3:58 gave Johnson a spark before halftime, sitting 45-26 in Norwich's favor.

The Badgers held strong, with Johnson shooting 52% from the field and 66.7% from three after the break, to keep the Cadets close. Brown opened the half with a jumper at 19:23 and Phillips followed with a bucket at 17:42. Mohammed Semega's layup at 10:49 capped a 6-0 run and Frierson buried his seventh three at 6:36, trimming the deficit to 13 at 65-52. Joseph Gargiulo added a fast-break layup at 11:13 and Brown's three at 8:08 made it 64-44. Despite the surge, Norwich answered with timely baskets to close the game 82-62.

KEY STATS

• Darone Frierson: 21 points, 7-11 from three, 3 rebounds
• Jaylen Brown: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Mohammed Semega: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks
• Drew Phillips: 7 points, 4 rebounds
• Joseph Gargiulo: 6 points, 2 assists, 2 steals

UP NEXT

Johnson returns home Tuesday, December 2nd for a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Thomas College.