Video Highlights by Tanner Acebo, NU Sports Information

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University shot 45.7 percent from the field in the second half to erase a 43-30 deficit as Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) scored 16 of her team-high 24 points to push the Cadets to a come-from-behind 74-70 win over visiting University of Saint Joseph in Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup Tuesday night.

Norwich improved to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the GNAC, while Saint Joseph drops to 5-9 on the year and 0-1 in league play.

Both teams traded baskets to open the first half that saw five lead changes in seven minutes before the Blue Jays utilized a 10-0 run in a span of two minutes for the 21-10 lead. Norwich looked to stay in contention but every that the Cadets made, St. Joseph would match it, if not add another, to maintain the lead and expand the margin to 15 at the 1:29 mark before the Cadets added four points to trail 43-30 at the break.

The Cadets opened the second half with a strong surge as LeBlanc put in a layup to spark a 11-2 run in the first four minutes of the stanza, trailing 45-43 at the 16:08 mark. Saint Joseph added a pair of baskets to extend the margin to seven, but the Blue Jays found themselves scoreless for the next five minutes as the Cadets utilized a 14-0 run for the 59-51 lead with nine minutes to play.

Saint Joseph looked to rally back into the game as Lindsay Feducia would hit five of the 10 points on a three-pointer and a jumper to cut the Blue Jays' deficit to three with 3:18 remaining in the game, but they would find themselves in foul trouble for the remainder of the game. Norwich would hit six baskets from the free throw line as Kayla Mercer (New Britain, Conn.) sealed the deal with a final free throw to give the Maroon and Gold the 74-70 victory.

Freshman forward Arianna Harrison (Vernon, Vt.) scored a career-high 12 points and added 13 rebounds for her first double-double of her collegiate career. Senior guard Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) added 19 points with six assists and a pair of steals, while Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.) pitched in with eight points and six assists on the night.

Brianna Ferraro led the Blue Jays with 20 points on the night, while teammate Heather Framski contributed 17 points and seven rebounds on the night.

The stats line would show both teams in equal favor, with Norwich hitting 48.4 percent of its shots from the floor to Saint Joseph's 47.6 percent. The game changer was from the free throw line as the Cadets would hit 9-of-17 in the second half as the Blue Jays never had an opportunity to add points from the charity stripe.

Norwich is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when it hosts Emmanuel College in a 1:00 p.m. GNAC matchup.