Women's Basketball: Norwich Edges Johnson & Wales, 50-47

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Kayleigh Shappy scored all of her team-high 13 points in the second half to help lead the Norwich University women's basketball team to a 50-47 victory over Johnson & Wales in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game Saturday afternoon at Andrews Hall.

Tara Stevenson chipped in nine points and six rebounds off the bench for the Cadets, while Christine Daniels scored six points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Ally Daniels added six points and 11 rebounds for NU.

The Cadets (13-5, 6-1 GNAC) trailed 40-34 with 6:49 to play, but a 9-0 NU run over the next 2:36 gave Norwich a 43-40 edge at the 4:13 mark. Shappy scored five points during the spurt, which gave NU its first lead since midway through the first half. Johnson & Wales scored the next five points to move in front 45-43 with 3:15 to play, but the Cadets ended the game on a 7-2 run to secure the victory.

Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch in the first half, with Norwich starting the game 1-for-9 from the field, and Johnson and Wales misfiring on 12 of its first 13 shots. Halfway through the opening stanza the score was deadlocked at 6-6. The Wildcats picked up their shooting over the final 10:01 of the frame, outscoring the Cadets 21-14 to take a 27-20 lead into halftime.

JWU was led by Santosuosso, who scored nine first half points on three three-pointers. The Wildcats shot just 30.3 percent (10-of-33) from the floor in the period, while the Cadets converted only 24.3 percent (9-of-37) of their field goals. Christine Daniels paced NU in the first half with six points and 11 rebounds.

Norwich began the second half on a 9-2 run to trim Johnson & Wales' lead down to 30-29 at the 12:53 mark. The Wildcats scored the next four points to push in front 34-29, but five straight points tied the game at 34-34 at the 9:46 mark. JWU scored the next six points to make it 40-34, but then the Cadets came to life.

Johnson & Wales (9-10, 4-2 GNAC) was led by Johanna Santosuosso, who poured in a game-high 16 points. Alexia Ramirez chipped in 11 points, while Maria Valletta added 10 points for the Wildcats.

JWU shot just 14.3 percent from the floor in the second half, and 23.3 percent for the game. NU, meanwhile, shot 27.1 percent for the game. The Cadets dominated on the interior, outrebounding the Wildcats 55-43, and outscoring JWU 26-12 in the lane.

Norwich has a week off before traveling to Boston, Mass., next Saturday, Feb. 7, for a GNAC contest versus Emerson. Tip-off for the conference clash is set for 3 p.m.

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