PAXTON, Mass. -  The Norwich University women's basketball team traveled south on Saturday afternoon for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) showdown with the AMCATS of Anna Maria College, dropping a nail-biter of a game by a 58-57 score. 

Anna Maria entered the fourth quarter with a slim two-point advantage over the Cadets in what had already been a captivating game. As time wound down, Norwich managed to build a five-point advantage with just over five minutes left, but by the time the game clock dipped below one minute remaining the AMCATS had regained the lead. Vanessa Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) banked in a layup with 28 seconds on the clock to give the Cadets the razor-thin 56-55 advantage, and Anna Maria promptly called a timeout.

Coming out of the huddle, Anna Maria ran a set play to get off a three-point shot from the hand of Maritza Gustave who just missed giving the AMCATS the big lead. Arianna Harrison (Vernon, Vt.) pulled down the defensive rebound and was promptly fouled and sent to the line. Harrison went 1-2 at the line to give Norwich the 57-55 lead with only 6 seconds left in regulation. 

The AMCATS came down the court, Gustave set a quality screen for Kayla Odegaard, who promptly drew up for three from about three feet behind the arc, sinking the shot with 0.4 seconds on the clock to win the game for Anna Maria.

The 58-57 loss drops the Cadets down to 8-11 on the year, and a 5-6 mark within the GNAC.

Arianna Harrison had a huge game for Norwich with 20 points and 15 rebounds in 36 minutes on the court, leading a Cadets team that didn't have a single other player record double-digit points. Junior Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) had a 3-6 night from the field for 8 points, and classmate Vanessa Fleury pulled down 9 rebounds on the day.

The Cadets are back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Mount Ida Mustangs for another GNAC showdown, set to tipoff at 5:00 PM in Andrews Hall.