The Johnson State College women’s basketball team hung on after an eight-point halftime advantage to beat visiting North Atlantic Conference (NAC) foe Me.-Farmington 70-67 Saturday afternoon in Carter Gymnasium. With the win, the Badgers advance to 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the conference while the Beavers slide to 10-8 overall and go to 8-3 in the NAC.

Johnson’s Allyson Bruckner and Domonique Carter-Stanley each paced the Badger attack with game-high 19 and 17 points respectively. Ashley Goddard posted 11 points, including the buzzer beater three-point shot that sealed the win for the Badgers. Goddard also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the home team.

Meghan Smith led the Beavers with 19 points followed by Cheyenne Malloy and Kelly Pomerleau who each added 11 points in the Beavers’ losing effort.

The Beavers kept fans on the edge of their seats in Carter Gym as they knotted things up with the hosts five times, while each team scored an impressive 17 points off of turnovers.

The Beavers kept it close for the first two quarters, ending the first stanza behind just by two (12-14) and then ending the 2nd quarter behind 23-31. Johnson took its largest lead in the third quarter when it went up by 13 at the 7:24 mark, but the Beavers used the majority of the fourth quarter to chip away that lead.

The final two minutes of the game were crucial for the Badgers. A pair of made free-throws from Malloy brought the game within two points followed by a lay-up from Meghan Smith, which tied up the game 67-67 with just two seconds to go. With Johnson in possession of the ball, Carter-Stanley worked the ball up the court, set a play and found Ashley Goddard who sank a three pointer with .06 seconds left in the game. The Beavers had one more chance to tie things up but weren’t able to, and the game ended with the hosts on top 70-67.

The Badgers travel to Maine Maritime on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tip while the Beavers will host Green Mountain on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.