Women's Basketball Falls to JWU

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Johnson & Wales University shot over 51 percent and posted a season high in scoring in an 81-37 victory over Mitchell College on Sunday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Raquel Pederzani scored a game-high 21 points and handed out six assists to lead four Wildcats in double figures. Kristen Habbel finished with 13 points, seven assists and four steals for JWU (6-4 overall) while Sarah Duryea and Ashley Thompson contributed 16 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

Jessica Shepherd paced Mitchell (1-7 overall) with 11 points while Amanda Garcia added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Wildcats bombed away from long range in the first half to build a quick lead. Bobbie Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y./Graphic Arts & Communication) opened the scoring with a trey on JWU's first possession while Pederzani followed with a three-ball of her own. Pederzani later pushed the lead to double digits with a lay-up at the 14:35 mark as the Wildcats seized control.

JWU led 36-15 at the break behind 13 points from Pederzani and 10 from Duryea. The Wildcats entered the game averaging 6.0 three-pointers per game but shot 7-for-15 from deep in the stanza. Mitchell struggled on the offensive end, producing only eight points over the opening 16 minutes of the contest.

The Wildcats pumped the lead to as many as 45 points in the second half while cruising to the finish. JWU outscored Mitchell 36-8 in the paint and 16-0 in transition. 

Mitchell will next play at Trinity College on Tuesday, January 6 at 7 p.m. Johnson & Wales returns to action against Worcester State University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.