FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
BOSTON, Mass. – Third seeded Johnson & Wales University captured the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Championship with a 74-66 victory against top-seeded Emmanuel College at the Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday afternoon. It marks the first conference championship in the history of the women's basketball program, while its 19 wins sets a new school single-season record.
"This was an extremely hard fought game by both teams," said head coach Corey Boilard. "We were fortunate to make some key defensive stops and make free throws down the stretch. It really was a total team effort. Players came off the bench to make huge contributions. We played with a lot of heart today and it was great to come away with the win."
Johnson & Wales was led by sophomore Bobbie Whitehead with 24 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Freshman Raquel Pederzani tallied 14 points with three rebounds and two assists while freshman Ashley Thompson was also in double-figures with 10 points for the Wildcats. Freshman Kimberly Viafara narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
Vanessa Bramante led the way for Emmanuel with 15 points and nine rebounds while Sarah Higgins added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Saints. Jennifer Bujnowski rounded out the list of double-figure scorers with 11 points and nine rebounds in the setback.
Johnson & Wales came out strong and grabbed the 13-4 lead on a layup by Whitehead with 4:55 left in the first half. The Wildcats had their first double-digit lead of the contest when a three-pointer by junior Savannah Kresge made the score 18-6 midway through the stanza. Emmanuel then used a 20-7 run, capped by a traditional three-pointer by Higgins to take the 26-25 lead with 4:41 left in the half. The two teams then traded leads down the stretch with JWU taking the 35-34 lead heading into halftime.
Emmanuel regained the lead early in the second half and held the 48-41 lead on a layup by Sasha Puglisi with 12:24 remaining on the clock. JWU responded with a 10-2 run and regained the lead on a layup by Pederzani with 8:10 left. Again, more back and forth action saw Emmanuel with the 63-58 lead on a layup from Higgins with just under four minutes remaining. The score was tied 66-66 with less than a minute left in the game before a pair of free throws by senior Kaitlin Kenney gave the Wildcats the 68-66 advantage. The Wildcats then hit six straight from the free throw line in the final 20 seconds, including four from Whitehead to seal the 74-66 victory.
With the victory, Johnson & Wales improves to 19-9 while Emmanuel drops to 18-10 on the year.
The Wildcats will automatically receive the conference's bid to the upcoming NCAA Division III National Championship. The field will be announced during Monday's selection show.
All-Tournament Team
Vanessa Bramante, Emmanuel
Sarah Higgins, Emmanuel
Bobbi Whitehead, Johnson & Wales
Raquel Pederzani, Johnson & Wales
Ashley Thompson, Johnson & Wales
Aliah Curry, Norwich
Iliana Quadri, Suffolk
Most Valuable Player - Bobbi Whitehead, Johnson & Wales
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, Feb. 24
#1 Emmanuel 77, #8 Albertus Magnus 52 | BOX | PROGRAM
#4 Suffolk 60, #5 Rivier 45 | BOX | PROGRAM
#3 Johnson & Wales 70, #6 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 62 | BOX | PROGRAM
#2 Norwich 68, #7 Anna Maria 51 | BOX | PROGRAM
Semifinals - Thursday, Feb. 26
#1 Emmanuel 66, #4 Suffolk 65 | BOX | PROGRAM
#3 Johnson & Wales 74, #2 Norwich 65| BOX | PROGRAM
Championship - Saturday, Feb. 28
#3 Johnson & Wales 74, #1 Emmanuel 66 | BOX | PROGRAM
– #theGNAC –
