NORTHFIELD, Vt.—Junior Aliah Curry (Windsor, Vt.) scored 32 points to lead the Norwich University women's basketball team to a 75-62 non-conference win against in-state foe Middlebury College on Thursday evening in Andrews Hall.

With the win, the Cadets improve to 7-7 overall, while the loss drops the Panthers to 6-10 on the season. The win marks the first time the Cadets have defeated the Panthers since November 24, 2009, when Norwich held on for a 65-62 win at home.

Curry scored her 32 points by shooting 11-21 from the floor, including a 6-12 performance from three-point range. She also connected on four of her nine free-throw attempts. Curry also had five assists and a game-high six steals on the evening.

Three other members of Norwich's starting five scored in double figures. Seniors Kristin Brown (Williamstown, Vt.) and Erin Clark (Newbury, Vt.) both contributed 13 points, while freshman Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) chipped in with 10.

The Panthers had five players reach double-digits in the scoring column, led by Elizabeth Knox (Falmouth, Mass.) and Rachel Crews (South Burlington, Vt.), who both tallied 12 points. Laura Lowry (West Hartford, Conn.), Sarah Marcus (Williamsville, N.Y.), and Alexis Coolidge (Jay, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 points apiece.

Norwich scored the first basket of the game and held a nine-point lead five minutes into the half. With the momentum swinging in the Cadets' favor, Norwich opened up a 12-point gap on a three-point basket by Curry with 11:23 still to play.

The Panthers defense then kicked into action, as they held the Cadets scoreless for the six minutes while building a 13-0 run to take the lead, 24-23, with 5:55 remaining in the half. Norwich snapped their scoreless streak on the next possession as Brown fed LeBlanc for a layup in the paint.

The Cadets capitalized on back-to-back scoreless possessions by Middlebury, and used a free-throw, a Middlebury turnover, and a jumper by Curry to take a four-point lead minutes later. The Panthers had two opportunities to score but ultimately turned the ball over on their next possession, setting up Brown for a three-point basket and the seven-point lead at 31-24. Middlebury would battle back again, cutting Norwich's lead to three, 31-28 as time expired in the first half.

Norwich would maintain their lead in the opening minutes of the second half, but Middlebury took control of the lead at 41-40 on a three-point basket by Lowry with 14:51 to play. The two teams would trade baskets for the next three-and-a-half minutes until Norwich's Curry was fouled as she drained a layup. She missed the free-throw, but collected her own rebound and laid it in to give the Cadets a four-point lead, 49-45, with 10:35 still to play.

The Cadets would use a 12-3 run to build a 13-point lead, 61-48, with 4:55 on the clock. The lead would mark the largest for the day for Norwich, though they would again reach the 13-point margin on Curry's final made free-throw with five seconds left in the game.

Norwich hit 50 percent (28-56) of field goal attempts on the evening, including an 8-22 (36.4 percent) performance from behind the arc. They also connected on 11-19 (57.9 percent) of shots from the free-throw line.

The Panthers shot 33.9 percent (20-59) from the floor and connected on five of 25 three-point attempts. They also hit 73.9 percent (17-23) of shots from the foul line.

The Cadet held a 36-16 advantage in points scored in the paint. They also edged the Panthers in points off turnovers (16-14) and second-chance points (12-10). Middlebury held a 12-0 advantage in bench points.

Norwich returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 25 when it travels to St. Joseph's College of Maine for a 1:00 p.m. Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup.