PAXTON, Mass. - Led by a 27-point showcase from
Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.), the Norwich University women's basketball team earned another hard-fought Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory, clawing past Anna Maria College on the road, 58-53, on Thursday evening.
Brewster knocked down a triage of treys with a 6-6 clip from the charity stripe while also logging nine boards, four helpers, and two steals, while
Silas Bernier (Jaffrey, N.H.) added 10 points and tied for the game-high with five assists.
The Cadets were able to overcome a slow start, which saw Norwich trail 6-0 after back-to-back three-pointers from the AMCATS opened the contest. A pair of freebies from Brewster put the Cadets on the board, before Anna Maria gradually regrew their lead to six at the end of the quarter.
After a trey from
Erika Thomas (Burlington, N.C.) out of the gates trimmed the lead down to three, another string of back-to-back long-range shots pushed Anna Maria's lead to a game-high nine. Norwich subsequently found some momentum as the AMCATS' edge whittled down to five courtesy of a
MacKenzie Moore (Georgia, Vt.) and-one in the closing seconds of the half.
Anna Maria quelled a pair of times where Norwich knotted the game up until a perfect trip to the line from Moore finally pushed Norwich ahead with 1:33 remaining in the third stanza. An ensuing stretch, including a buzzer-beating layup from Arianna Saladini, tied the contest up at 38-all heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Norwich offense continued to come alive in the fourth quarter, spearheaded by 13 points from Brewster and a 50.0% mark as a team. Despite consistent efforts from the AMCATS, a swift 4-0 run made possible from a tough layup from Bernier and free-throws from Brewster iced the game for the Cadets in the waning minute.
"Every road game in the GNAC is tough and tonight was definitely no exception," Head Coach
Mark Zacher said. "Anna Maria played a solid game and required us to find a way to win. Our young team is growing with every contest."
Marinique Reddin was the lone Anna Maria player in double-figures with 25 points and 12 caroms. Norwich shot 37.7% for the game, while making 23 trips to the stripe.
The victory pushes the Cadets to 8-7 overall and knots their conference record at 4-4. Norwich will look to win its third in a row this weekend, traveling to West Hartford, Conn., for a 1:00 p.m. duel at the University of Saint Joseph.
