Badgers edge Panthers down the stretch

            JOHNSON, Vt. – Johnson State College snuck past non-conference visitors Plymouth State University in a last minute win Thursday evening, 63-62. Sophomore Nicole Lafreniere (Jeffersonville, Vt.) hit the winning free throw for the Badgers with a minute remaining for what proved to be the difference.

            The Badgers' offense was led by freshman Mary Richardson (Vernon, Vt.)  who finished with a team-high 15 points. Richardson also snagged five boards and contributed four assists. Freshman Lazrin Schenck (Shelburne, Vt.) added 14 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds while sophomore Brittany Robertson (Burlington, Vt.) notched 13 point towards the Badger's victory.

            Junior Krystin Corliss (Loudon, N.H.) paced the Panthers with her game-high 17 points while senior Kaylee Towle (Dover, N.H.) tallied 14 points and eight boards.

            JSC jumped out to an 8-2 lead behind six points from Robertson with just over four minutes played.  The visiting Panthers would tie the score 9-9 by the 13:41 mark with help from a pair of Corliss free-throws. The teams would tie things up six more times before the visitors took their first lead of the game, 32-30, with just over 3:00 minutes left in the first half. The Badgers attempted to close the lead four times before the buzzer, but headed into the locker room with PSU leading, 35-30.

            A basket from Towle to open the second half gave PSU a seven-point lead. The Panthers led by as many as 10 points, but a rally brought JSC back to tie the score at 58-58 with 1:44 left on the scoreboard.  Richardson hit a key three-pointer for Johnson to give the home team a four-point lead, but PSU freshman Bry Bennett (Lancaster, N.H.) made two baskets at the other end to tie the score at 62-all.

            Both teams return to conference play on Saturday when Johnson (4-15) hosts North Atlantic Conference rival Lyndon State College and Plymouth State (1-18) will host Little East Conference foe Eastern Connecticut State University. 

(Courtesy of Johnson State Sports Information) 

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