Women's Basketball Falls to JWU, 69-50

PAXTON, Mass.—Junior Deja Taitt (Cambia Heights, N.Y.) scored a game-high 21 points but it was not enough, as the Anna Maria College women's basketball team suffered a 69-50 loss to the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University on Monday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.

With the win, JWU improves to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in GNAC play, while Anna Maria falls to 6-9 on the season and 0-3 in league action.

AMCAT LEADERS

In addition to 21 points, Taitt added four assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Senior Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

JOHNSON & WALES LEADERS

Three different players scored in double-figures for the Wildcats, led by Bobbie Whitehead with 16 points, alongside a team-high eight rebounds. Ashley Thompson chipped in with 15 points on a 6-for-13 effort from the floor, while Kristen Habbel added 10 points and five assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Johnson & Wales held controlled the game from the early minutes but was slow to build a substantial lead. Anna Maria was able to take a brief two-point lead in the second quarter but found themselves down by six points entering halftime.

Anna Maria allowed the Wildcats to build a comfortable lead in the third quarter but came within five points again with a minute-and-a-half left in the frame. Johnson & Wales was able to break free in the final quarter as they used a 25-11 scoring advantage to propel them to the 19-point victory.

FINAL COMPARISONS

The AMCATS nearly matched the Wildcats in shooting in the first half, as JWU posted a 31.3 percent effort (10-32) while Anna Maria hit 9-30 (30.0 percent). Things changed in the second half, when JWU saw an improvement to 16-37 (43.2 percent) while Anna Maria had a similar performance at 35.7 percent (10-28).  

Johnson & Wales held a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint and saw their biggest margin in points off turnovers, 22-7. Anna Maria trailed by one, 11-10, in second-chance points.

Anna Maria outrebounded the Wildcats, 47-42.

WHAT'S NEXT

Anna Maria travels to Mount Ida on Thursday for a 6:00 p.m. GNAC game before hosting St. Joseph (Conn.) on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.