BARRE, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 62-55 victory over the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon Hornets in their final game of the 2022 Barre Granite Association College Classic, hosted at the Barre Auditorium on Saturday night.

The Cadets' winning efforts were spearheaded by a 29-point showcase by sophomore Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.), whose 11-13 shooting performance from the charity stripe was critical for a team that made 26 trips to the line.  Erika Thomas (Burlington, N.C.) also posted double-figures, logging a career-high 13 points in the win.

Norwich wasted no time in getting things rolling after the Hornets took an early 2-0 lead on a pair of freebies, embarking on a 25-7 run throughout the first quarter that would turn into an 18-point lead on the opening basket of the second stanza, courtesy of Brewster.  A quick 8-0 NVU-Lyndon spurt would be quickly shut down by Norwich, who kept the Hornets at bay through a double-digit advantage for the rest of the quarter.  Brittany Graham (Rye, N.H.) would put an exclamation point on the half, drilling a jumper with 11 seconds left to give the Cadets a 38-23 lead at the break.

The Cadets appeared primed to coast to victory after back-to-back treys from Graham and Brewster gave Norwich its largest advantage, 46-23, halfway through the third quarter.  NVU-Lyndon found momentum in the closing minutes, trimming Norwich's lead back down to 13 on a Kerigan Disorda three-pointer seconds before the end of the frame.

Another run by the Hornets, this time a 5-0 spurt to start the fourth, would bring NVU-Lyndon back to within single-digits, and trickled down to as close as two as the Cadets held onto a slight 53-51 edge with 3:15 left.  A personal 5-0 run by Brewster extended Norwich's lead back to comfortable territory, before a pair of freebies and a buzzer-beating layup from Thomas secured the victory in the closing minute.

"The performance today is a part of the continuing growth and learning of our team.  Injuries forced us to use players in new and different positions and they responded well," Head Coach Mark Zacher said.  "In addition, NVU-Lyndon made a great defensive run to get back in the game and make it a close contest.  And, I believe, or at least I hope, that we have learned a good lesson about using the clock to our advantage that will carry over into future games."

Norwich's offense stemmed from its starters, as Brewster posted 15 rebounds and six steals to go with her 29 points.  In addition to Thomas's 13 points, Graham finished with seven, while Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) and MacKenzie Moore (Georgia, Vt.) logged 11 and 10 caroms, respectively.

Emori Davis led the Hornets offensively, pouring in 14 points off the bench.  Riann Fortin finished with 11 points and eight boards.

The Cadets will head into Thanksgiving break with another two-day weekend ahead of them in their next outing, with the 2022 Ed Hockenbury Classic set to get underway on Friday, Dec. 2, and into Saturday, Dec. 3.  Norwich will host Eastern Nazarene College in the opening game of the Classic at 6:00 p.m., while Trinity College (Conn.) and Westfield State will duel in the nightcap at 8:00 p.m. in Andrews Hall.