NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Despite a career-best effort inside from Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.), the Norwich University women's basketball team could not keep their momentum afloat in the final stretches, falling to rival Rivier University, 65-48, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash in Andrews Hall on Wednesday evening.

McGinn logged a ferocious double-double, posting a career-high 31 points on a 14-22 clip from the floor to go with 14 rebounds while snagging three steals.  Mallorie Chalmers (Milton, Vt.) followed in the scoring column with eight points, while Silas Bernier (Jaffrey, N.H.) dished out a game-high seven helpers.

Both teams exchanged baskets and leads in the opening minutes, but the Raiders broke open a two-point game in the closing five minutes of the opening frame with a 15-6 run, capturing a double-digit lead they would never relinquish throughout the second quarter.

After Rivier claimed a 17-point lead out of the gate, the Cadets' offense sprung to life, crossing back into single-digit territory on a Morgan Reeve (Morrisville, Vt.) jumper and finally whittling the Raiders' lead down to one possession twice before the third quarter buzzer, courtesy of an and-one opportunity from McGinn and a freebie from Chalmers.

However, the momentum would be short-lived as Rivier extended the three-point lead back to double-figures en route to the 17-point lead.

Norwich dominated inside, largely thanks to McGinn's post-play, owning a 32-18 edge in points in the paint, which included a 14-2 mark in the third quarter.

The Cadets will now look ahead to the weekend, when they travel to Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass., for a 3:00 p.m. conference clash on Saturday, Jan. 13.