NORTHFIELD, Vt.—The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) women's basketball team edged the Cadets of Norwich University 72-70 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Wednesday evening at Andrews Hall. 

With the loss, the Cadets fall to 8-12 overall and 2-5 in GNAC action, while the win boosts the visiting Blue Jays to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in league play.

Norwich's Aliah Curry (Windsor, Vt.) led all scorers with 25 points in addition to four rebounds and four assists.   Kristin Brown (Williamstown, Vt.) chipped in with 12 points and four assists, while Jessalyn Sweeney (Stanfordville, N.Y.) added 11 points.  Hannah Curler (N. Ferrisburgh, Vt.) led the Cadets on the boards with seven rebounds.

Saint Joseph saw a double-double performance from Claire Consonni, who totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds. Heather Framski contributed a team-high 15 points, while Devon Diliberto and Brianna Ferarro also scored in double-figures, notching 12 and 11 points, respectively.

In a game that saw 14 lead changes and the score tied eight times, the Blue Jays would find themselves in possession of the lead in the final minutes of the game after the score was knotted for the final time at 65-65 with 2:32 to play. A Brianna Ferraro layup and a pair of free throws gave the Blue Jays the 69-65 lead, but Norwich's Brown connected on a three-point basket with 53 seconds left to bring the Cadets back within one.

The Cadets, forced to foul, put Saint Joseph's Lindsay Feducia on the line with 19 seconds on the board.  She connected on both attempts to bring the score to 71-68.  Norwich would look for a three-point basket to tie, but the attempt by Curry was off the mark.  Kristine Brammer (Littleton, N.H.) scooped the rebound and laid it in to set the score at 71-70.  She then tallied a quick foul to attempt to gain possession.

Saint Joseph's Devon Diliberto connected on both free throws, but a lane violation by her teammate wiped the second basket, giving Norwich one opportunity to respond.  A long inbounds pass to Curry was the Cadet's only option, but she was knocked to the ground by two Blue Jays defenders and the ball rolled out of bounds to end the game.

The first half was a similar story, as 10 of the 14 lead changes came in the first 20 minutes of the game. The largest lead of the game came at the 14:11 mark as Norwich led by seven points at 18-11.

Saint Joseph held the advantage in shooting percentage on the evening, as the Blue Jays shot 37.7 percent from the floor including a game-high 42.9 percentage in the second half.  The Cadets shot 35.3 percent from the floor, but held an 8-3 advantage from three-point range.

The Cadets return to action on Saturday, when they travel to New Haven, Connecticut to take on Albertus Magnus College in GNAC action at 1:00 p.m.