PAXTON, Mass. – Senior Leanne Winans (Hudson, N.H.) of the Norwich University women's basketball team had a career day on Saturday, lifting the Cadets to a 68-61 road victory over Anna Maria College. 

Norwich improves to 13-8 overall on the season and sports an 8-5 record against Great Northeast Athletic Conference foes. Winners of four of their last five games, the Cadets sent Anna Maria to its 14th loss in 16 games this season – the AMCATS remain winless against GNAC competition. 

Winans set career-high marks in rebounds (15), points scored (14), field goals made (6) and blocks (3) while tying her previous personal record with four assists. She also was one of four Norwich starters to play 38 or more minutes in the contest. In her senior campaign at Norwich, she already has set career-high marks with 152 rebounds, 101 points, 39 field goals and 20 starts. 

Senior Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) scored a team-best 23 points for Norwich in the victory, reeling in 11 rebounds and leading the Cadets with two steals. Shooting 8-for-16 from the floor, LeBlanc also made a team-best seven shots from the charity stripe. Junior Shyann Josler (Thetford Center, Vt.) rounded out the double-digit point scorers with 11 to her credit. 

Josler tied the score at 14 with only 3:17 left in the first quarter, but the Cadets were forced to answer an impressive 10-point scoring run to close the stanza by the AMCATS. In the first 10 minutes alone, the AMCATS shot 72.7% (8-for-11) from the floor and made all five free throw attempts. 

Norwich did well to cut into the deficit early in the second quarter as LeBlanc scored eight-straight points to cut the Cadets deficit to only two points, 24-22, with 7:29 left in the first half. Winans would tie the game at 26 just over one minute later, capping off a three-point play to bring Norwich back into contention. 

Ahead by two points in the final minute of the first half, Norwich fouled the AMCATS' Deja Taitt and set her to the line where she made back-to-back free throws to tie the game at 34. A late three-point basket by Anna Maria that immediately followed a Norwich turnover created a 37-34 advantage for the hosts. 

LeBlanc tied the game for the 10th time late in the third quarter, making both free throws to create a 46-46 deadlock. Following an Anna Maria turnover and a steal by sophomore Naomi Rinaldo (Middlefield, Conn.), LeBlanc put back a Rinaldo pass to propel Norwich into a 48-46 lead entering the final 10 minutes of regulation time. 

Josler had arguably the biggest shot of the afternoon for Norwich as her three-point basket only 2:26 into the fourth quarter created a seven-point lead for the Cadets. On the next play, Anna Maria turned the ball over and Winans not only earned the rebound but would put home a layup on the same possession. 

The Cadets would maintain a seven-point lead following a Rinaldo layup in the final minute, but a five-point scoring outburst made things interesting late. Ahead by two points, sophomore Victoria Brown (Lexington, Mass.) made back-to-back free throws and three additional free throw makes in the final 12 seconds created the final 68-61 advantage for the Cadets. 

Rinaldo, who played 20 minutes for Norwich, set career-high marks with seven points and three assists. LeBlanc also contributed her 10th double-double of the season and needs only 20 rebounds to become the third member of the NU women's basketball team ever to reach 1,000 across a career. 

Christina Gauvin led Anna Maria with 23 points. Taitt's 14 points ranked second on the squad – she also handed out six of her team's 11 assists in the tilt. 

The Cadets conclude a three-game road stretch with a 7 p.m. tilt against Mount Holyoke on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Two of the final three games for Norwich will be played in Andrews Hall, beginning with a 3 p.m. tilt against Johnson & Wales (R.I.) on Saturday, Feb. 11.