Plymouth State University

JOHNSON, Vt. – The Plymouth State University women's basketball team fought to the last minute, but ultimately faced defeat to Northern Vermont University-Johnson, 62-59, in a non-conference game at Carter Gymnasium Thursday night.
 
Sophomore Sabrina Vlahovic (New Hope, Pa.) led the Panthers with 19 points while going 2-of-3 from three-point land, while classmate Jessica Ruiz (Lynn, Mass.) scored 13 points of her own, shooting 6-of-18 from the floor.
 
The Panthers held multiple late game leads, but the Badgers dug in, and knocked down late free throws to secure the home victory.
 
Plymouth State falls to 0-1 on the season, while the Badgers go to 2-2.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 59, NVU-Johnson 62
  • Plymouth State (0-1)
  • NVU-Johnson (2-2)

Top Performers:

• Sabrina Vlahovic (19 pts, 2-3 3pt, 7-10 fg, 4 reb)
• Jessica Ruiz (13 pts, 4 reb)
• Autumn Nelson (8 pts, 2-2 ft, 10 reb)

How it Happened:

• PSU kept things close through the opening quarter, being down 14-13 after the first.
• Vlahovic led all scorers with a dozen first half points, but the Panthers were narrowly edged 33-31 at the mid-point.
• Early in the third quarter, NVU-Johnson extended its lead to seven points (41-34), knocking down multiple buckets from distance.
• The Panthers battled back late in the third to get it within one (43-42) with 1:40 left, but couldn't retake the lead.
• The Badgers scored the last bucket in the third with just over a minute to play, finishing the quarter with a 45-42 advantage.
• The fourth quarter started with a Panthers' 5-0 run, highlighted by a baseline three by junior Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) to put the team up 47-45 with 7:30 left to play.
• Both teams exchanged buckets throughout the fourth, trading leads until finding themselves knotted at 54-54 with 2:00 remaining in the game.
• NVU took the lead for good, going up 58-56 with 1:13 left, adding some late free throws to secure the victory for the Badgers.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 23-of-69 (33.3%) from the floor and 4-of-13 (30.8%) from distance.
• PSU out-rebounded NVU-Johnson 52-34, and 22-6 on the offensive glass.
• Both teams' largest lead was only seven points through the entire contest.
• Points in the paint were in favor of the Panthers, 26-12.
• The Badgers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Panthers, who have won 9-of-12 meetings dating back to 2010.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers host Westfield State in their home opener at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday (Nov. 13) afternoon. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.