NEWTON, Mass. - The Norwich University women's basketball team coasted past Lasell University behind a strong second-half effort to secure a pivotal Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory, 77-54, at the Lasell Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) posted a new season-high, pouring in 31 points to lead a quadruplet of double-digit scorers.
Silas Bernier (Jaffrey, N.H.) tallied 15 points and dished out five helpers,
Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) had a 14-point, 11-board double-double, and
Rachel Botala (Grand Isle, Vt.) added 10 points.
After Norwich earned its first lead early on at 6-5, the Lasers controlled the ensuing minutes of the first quarter, going on a 14-2 run to take an 11-point lead before the Cadets promptly responded on a 8-0 run to end the frame and trail Lasell by three after the opening 10 minutes.
Eight points from Botala in the second quarter helped Norwich turn the tides, as the Cadets broke a 23-all deadlock to claim a permanent lead. The Lasers would fight to keep Norwich within reach, trimming the edge down to one in the third frame, but the Cadets' offense came alive, rushing out to a double-digit advantage that grew to 12 heading into the final stanza.
Despite a Brenna Graber trey cutting Norwich's lead down to single-digits, the Cadets were unstoppable in the fourth quarter, as back-to-back long range bombs from Brewster and Bernier got Norwich rolling to open the frame.
The Cadets never looked back, as
Siobhan O'Donnell (Glendale, N.Y.) handed her team their largest lead of the game at 25, 77-52, in the waning minutes.
Norwich maintained a 40.3% clip from the floor for the game, while attempting a whopping 33 free-throws. The Cadets held a 20-13 edge in points off turnovers while outrebounding Lasell, 43-29.
Juju Nealy led the Lasers off the bench with 16 points, while Graber finished with 14 points.
The win is a seismic one for the Cadets, who keep their GNAC playoff hopes alive with the 23-point victory. This sets up a titanic conference showdown on Tuesday, as Norwich will travel to Colby-Sawyer College for a 5:30 p.m. tilt in New London, N.H. to open up the final week of the regular season.
