BANNER

Vermont State Johnson earned an impressive home victory on Saturday afternoon, powering past SUNY Delhi 71-60 at Carter Gymnasium behind a dominant second‑half surge and a 28‑point outing from senior forward Kristie Zator.

SUMMARY

Johnson set the tone early, capitalizing on their rebounding prowess and late-quarter composure to take a 16-11 first‑quarter lead, highlighted by a deep three from Zator with 19 seconds remaining. The Badgers continued to control the interior in the second frame, responding to Delhi's early push with a 6-0 run featuring an Jacqueline Oberg tip‑in, a Faith Meade layup, and multiple defensive stops to hold a 29-25 halftime advantage.

Delhi briefly tied the game at 33-33 midway through the third, but Johnson immediately answered with its most decisive stretch of the day. Cris Sandlin hit a jumper, Oberg scored on a mid‑range look, and Zator attacked for back‑to‑back layups to rebuild separation. With under a minute left in the quarter, Sierra Reed drilled a jumper and Faith Meade buried a three at :18, sending Johnson into the fourth up 49-41.

In the final period, the Badgers took full control. Abbie Hernandez knocked down an early jumper and Zator added a putback to extend the margin. Oberg protected the rim with consecutive blocks, and Zator continued her scoring tear with a jumper and free throw to push the lead to 56-41. Meade delivered a dagger three at 4:02, later adding a jumper to keep Johnson comfortably ahead. Zator sealed the victory with a top‑of‑the‑key three at 1:54 and finished the night with two technical free throws in the closing seconds to set the final score at 71-60.

KEY STATS

Kristie Zator: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Abbie Hernandez: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Jacquelyn Oberg: 4 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks
Faith Meade: 11 points, 3 steals
Sierra Reed: 6 points, 3 rebounds

UP NEXT

The Badgers return to action Friday, February 6th, hosting Maine Farmington for a 7:30 pm tipoff.