NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Following the Norwich men's buzzer-beating win over Johnson & Wales, the women Cadets found themselves on the other end of the scoreboard, as a Wildcats' layup with two seconds remaining in the game served the Norwich women's basketball team a heartbreaking 54-52 loss.

The Cadets (15-7, 7-3 GNAC) were led in large part by their four seniors who had been honored for “Senior Day” prior to the afternoon's tipoff. Senior co-captain Christine Daniels recorded yet another double-double with 20 boards and 18 points on the afternoon.

Karissa Doyon netted 14 points, and made a block, steal, and an assist. Megan Gingras put up 10 points in the action, while recording two assists and eight boards. And co-captain Laurel McWilliams nabbed 15 off the glass and made three steals on the Wildcats.

For JWU (7-16, 4-6 GNAC), freshman Jenna Juron led her team with 24 points and two assists, while sophomore Ayla Walter put in another 16 points. The Wildcats' lone senior, Morgan Wilson, was a key player in the win, earning three assists, nine points, four boards, and recorded a season-best seven steals.

Norwich held a 36-23 advantage at halftime, outshooting the Wildcats from the field and the free-throw line. Daniels had already reached her double-double status and the 13-point spread was looking promising for the maroon and gold on their “Senior Day.”

The Wildcats, however, came out in the second half with a different plan, as they outshot the Cadets 46-percent to 22-percent from the field, and sank 83-percent of their free throws, as opposed to Norwich's 16-of-21 attempts. It was enough to give JWU the necessary edge for their comeback.

While the Cadets worked to maintain their lead on the opponents, the Wildcats slowly closed the gap until it was down to a two-point game with just over three minutes on the clock. A jumper by Walter tied it up at 52-all and Norwich would be held scoreless as the time ticked down to zero.

The Cadets weren't without their moments, however, but chances by sophomore Andrea Vogt, Daniels, Gingras, Doyon, and freshman Kristin Brown were all denied at the rim, seeming to refuse the fall through the net.

On the final play of the game, just after a JWU timeout, the Wildcats' Juron ran into the paint for a layup with two seconds remaining. Norwich had just enough time to put the ball into play, but was unable to create a strong enough attack in the remaining 1.8 seconds.

The Cadets will return to action in Andrews Hall on Tuesday when they host the Rams of Suffolk University at 5:30 p.m. in what will be their last home game of the regular season schedule. The men's team will take the court directly afterwards for their GNAC game versus Emmanuel College at 7:30 p.m.

-CADETS-