JWU UPSETS EMMANUEL TO WIN PROGRAM'S 1ST GNAC CHAMPIONSHIP

BOSTON, Mass. – No. 3 Johnson & Wales University (19-9) won the program's first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship, pulling off a stunning 74-66 upset victory over top-seeded Emmanuel College (18-10) in the conference title game played in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday afternoon.  The upset win was the second-straight upset for the Wildcats, who downed No. 2 Norwich University on Thursday to advance to the conference championship.

A record-setting year for Johnson & Wales with 19 wins, the Wildcats have now earned the GNAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Emmanuel's hopes for the program's 19th NCAA Tournament appearance were eliminated and the Saints will wait to hear about a possible ECAC Tournament berth.

Both teams entered the title game with the same exact overall record at 18-9 and with Emmanuel having topped the Wildcats, 65-44, earlier this season down in Providence, R.I. Saturday's re-match, however, was a much different game, featuring 10 ties and 13 lead changes, before JWU pulled off the upset.

Making just the program's second appearance in the GNAC Finals, the Wildcats appeared to be veterans to championship play, opening up the contest on fire with a 10-0 run to take an early 14-4 lead.  Sophomore guard Bobbi Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) combined for eight points over the opening spurt for JWU.  The Saints got off to a slow start, scoring just four points over the first seven minutes of play.

As EC began to chip away, freshman guard Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) buried a long jumper, which forced a JWU time out with 10:44 left in first half and the visitors up by eight, 20-12.  The Saints went to their signature full-court pressure immediately following a timeout, but a three-pointer by JWU's Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) put the Wildcats up 25-17 with seven minutes left in the half.

Emmanuel answered with a quick two in the paint from senior center Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.).  Bujnowski would then score again on the Saints' next two possessions, as Emmanuel capped a 7-0 run to tie the game at 25-all.  An and-one from Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) gave the hosts the lead at 26-25.

The Saints would hold their slight edge until Kimberly Viafara (Woodside, N.Y.) hit two from the stripe to give the visitors a one-point lead, 31-30.  Emmanuel's rookie guard Sasha Puglisi (Cross River, N.Y.) then dropped a pair at the opposite end and the Saints edged back out in front.  The free throw battle continued, as Kaitlin Kenney (Branford, Conn.) knocked down two for JWU and the Wildcats held a 33-32 advantage with just over a minute left.  Devin Rauh (Collegeville, Pa.) and Viafara traded buckets at opposite ends to set the score at 35-34, with the Wildcats up by one heading into the locker room at halftime.

Whitehead led all scorers at the break with her nine points, while Thompson added eight first half points for the Wildcats.  Bujnowski was the high-scorer in the first half for the Saints with seven points.

Second half action opened with Whitehead being signaled for her third foul just ten seconds in and the sophomore was forced to take a seat.  With Whitehead's absence, three minutes of scoreless action kicked off the second frame.  A jumper from Emmanuel's senior captain Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) ended the drought at 17:09 and gave the Saints a 36-35 edge.

The Saints would hold onto their lead over the next two minutes and a jumper by Olivia Marks (Canterbury, Conn.) made it a 42-39 game.  EC then went on a 6-2 run, capped with a Puglisi lay-up to stretch their lead to 48-41 with 12:24 left.

The Wildcats would then go on an 8-2 run to cut their deficit to one point, down 50-49, before Pederanzi layed one in to give the Wildcats at 51-50 edge with just over eight minutes to go.

The Saints capitalized on offensive rebounds with both Bujnowski and Higgins hitting put-backs, as EC surged out in front by six, 57-51, with 6:40 left.  Johnson & Wales then put together a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 58-57 with 4:49 on the clock.

The Wildcats' lead was taken on a pair of freebies from Whitehead.  Bramante would answer with two at the other end and Marks stuck a jumper to give the Saints a 61-58 lead with just over four minutes left.  A lay-up by Higgins made it a 63-58 game and the Wildcats signaled for a full timeout with 3:23 remaining.

Fall-away in the lane from Whitehead cut the JWU deficit to 63-60.  Following one free throw from each team, Whitehead buried a dagger from outside the arc on the left wing, which tied the game at 64-all nearing the two-minute mark.

Two free throws from Alves gave the hosts a 66-64 lead with 1:54 left, but this would cap the scoring on the day for Emmanuel, as the Wildcats were clutch from the line down the stretch, going 8-8 from the stripe, to end the game on a 10-0 run for the 74-66 win.

Free-throw contest saw the two squads combine for 53 foul shots, with the Wildcats going 28-34 (82.4%) and the Saints hitting 14-19 (73.7%).

Whitehead, who was named the GNAC Tournament's Most Valuable Player, led all scorers with her game-high 24 points and seven rebounds coming in just 19 minutes of action.  Pederzani and Thompson rounded out a trio of double-figure scorers for the Wildcats, finishing with 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Both Pederzani and Thompson earned spots on the All-Tournament Team for JWU.

Emmanuel was paced by 15 points and nine boards from Bramante.  Higgins added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Bujnowski finished just shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.  Bramante and Higgins were named to the All-Tournament Team for Emmanuel.

Also earning spots on the GNAC All-Tournament Team were semifinalists, Iliana Quadri from Suffolk University and Aliah Curry from Norwich University.

Johnson & Wales will now advance to the NCAA Tournament next Friday night, March 6th.  The Wildcats' opponent and game time will be announced via the NCAA selection show on Monday afternoon.