BARRE, Vt. - A 50-all deadlock with seven and a half minutes left was broken by a dominant 17-0 run by Northern Vermont University-Johnson, as the Norwich University women's basketball team suffered a 67-50 setback to the Badgers in the opening game of the 2022 Barre Granite Association College Classic on Friday afternoon at the historic Barre Auditorium.

Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) netted 18 points in the loss, in addition to eight boards.  Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) led the effort on the glass, hauling down 11 caroms.  Erika Thomas (Burlington, N.C.) and Rachel Botala (Grand Isle, Vt.) added eight points apiece.

The Badgers broke through a back-and-forth stretch that last the opening 11 minutes, claiming a seven-point advantage on a Devyn Thompson trey that handed NVU-Johnson a 23-16 edge.  Norwich quickly answered, embarking on a 12-0 run to take its largest lead of five.  NVU-Johnson evened things out minutes later, and took a 32-30 lead into the intermission on an Emma Buonanno jumper with 11 seconds left.

The Cadets held strong throughout the third quarter into the opening minutes of the fourth, knotting the game on Brewster's final basket of the game.  Norwich could not muster anything past that point, as the Badgers clawed their way to the 17-point win.

Gabrielle Wardwell led NVU-Johnson, posting a monstrous 16-point, 25-rebound double-double to lead a quintuplet of double-digit scorers.

Norwich will look to recover and head into Thanksgiving break with a split in the Classic, taking on Northern Vermont University-Lyndon in the third of four games scheduled at the Barre Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 19.  Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.