NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Despite a 22-point showcase from Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.), the Norwich University women's basketball endured a 67-50 loss to Rivier University in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) bout on Saturday afternoon in Andrews Hall.

McGinn's 22 points led the Cadets, made possible by a 10-15 performance from the floor.  Silas Bernier (Jaffrey, N.H.) tallied nine points, six helpers, and four boards, while Erika Thomas (Burlington, N.C.) added seven points off the bench.

Back-to-back layups from McGinn put Norwich on the board early with a 4-0 lead, before the Raiders' offense came alive on a 14-0 run to capture a lead they would never relinquish.  The Cadets embarked on their own 6-0 run to draw the lead back down to four, but their momentum was quickly evaporated by Rivier's quarter-ending 14-2 run.

The Cadets held strong throughout the second quarter, being outscored by just one to trail 41-24 at the break, before again finding a groove in the third quarter as a Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) jumper and three-straight layups from McGinn cut Rivier's lead down to 11.  The Raiders would succeed at keeping Norwich at bay for the remainder of the tilt, however, extending their lead back to 20 en route to the 17-point win.

Brianna Wilcox led Rivier behind 29 points, while Lyric Grumblatt finished with 19 points.

Norwich will now face the daunting task of playing four games in six days, first traveling to GNAC rival Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass., for a 7:00 p.m. duel on Tuesday, Jan. 31 to close out the month.  A home tilt with Colby-Sawyer College waits around the corner on Thursday, before heading to Maine for weekend duels with Saint Joseph's College and Maine Maritime.