CASTLETON, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team dropped a road game on Thursday to the Spartans of Castleton University, falling to their in-state rival by a 71-48 final score. 

The game was tightly contested through the first quarter, as a Riley Bennett (Hopkinton, N.H.) free throw gave the Cadets a one-point lead five minutes into the game. However, Castleton closed the quarter on an 11-0 run to open up a dominant 15-5 lead over Norwich. 

 The second quarter proved to be just as dominant for the Spartans, as they outscored Norwich 18-8, and the Cadets were unable to close the gap through the remainder of the game as Castleton walked away with the 71-48 victory. 

Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) led the way offensively for the Cadets with 12 points, while Riley Bennett was the only other player to reach double digits with 11 points on the night. Castleton outpaced the Cadets in most statistical categories including shooting percentage (42.4%-22.2%), rebounds (46-34), assists (17-6), points off turnovers (23-10), and points in the paint (26-10) among others. 

Makayla Farrara dropped in a massive 30 points on the night to lead the Spartans. 

With the loss, Norwich falls to 10-14 on the year. Their final matchup of the year is this Saturday when travel north to take on conference powerhouse Saint Joseph's (Maine) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference battle before postseason play begins.