NORTHFIELD, Vt. - A wild back-and-forth affair went the University of Saint Joseph's way, as the Norwich University women's basketball team fell just short in a 78-72 loss in Andrews Hall in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon.
Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) strung together an electrifying performance, going 11-21 from the floor with a pair of treys to finish with 26 points while hauling down 10 boards.Â
Siobhan O'Donnell (Glendale, N.Y.) had an all-around stellar showing, posting career-bests of 13 points, seven assists, and five steals, while
Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.) shot 50% from the floor en route to 11 points.
The Blue Jays controlled the tone early, maintaining the lead for a majority of the first quarter before a
Sage MacAuley (Barre, Vt.) and-one opportunity pushed the Cadets ahead at the break and gave them some momentum. That carried over into the second frame, as Norwich finally broke into the double-digit mark courtesy of four-straight points from O'Donnell.
Despite a burst out of halftime by USJ, the Cadets stayed afloat, again extending their lead back to 10 off a MacAuley jumper, but the Blue Jays' offense sprung to life, ending the frame on a 9-2 run to trim Norwich's lead to three heading into the final 10 minutes.
USJ snatched the lead out of the gates, never allowing Norwich a chance to reclaim it despite the Cadets knotting things up on four occasions. After
Mallorie Chalmers (Milton, Vt.) brought the contest to 68-all with 1:53 remaining, the Blue Jays iced the game from the charity stripe.
Norwich rolled in several stats, including holding significant edges in points off turnovers (23-10) and points in the paint (44-32). The Cadets shot 42.9% from the floor, while forcing 17 USJ turnovers.
The Cadets will close out their three-game home stand on Wednesday, Jan. 10, hosting conference rival Rivier University in a 5:00 p.m. clash.
