MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team dropped its second straight contest on Tuesday evening, falling to Middlebury College by an 80-36 margin in non-conference action at Pepin Gymnasium.

Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) and Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.) led the Cadets offensively, each tallying 10 points on a combined 9-17 shooting effort.  Both added three rebounds, while Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) chipped in six points in her first collegiate start.

Norwich opened with early momentum, taking a 4-2 lead behind quick baskets from Kittredge and O'Brien in the first 90 seconds.  The Cadets broke a 6-6 tie on a Kittredge layup and briefly led again at 10-9 following a Laster jumper, but Middlebury responded with a 14-0 run to close the first quarter and seize control.

A Jade Garceau (Fairfield, Vt.) layup opened the second quarter, but another extended Panther burst, this time a 19-4 stretch across eight minutes, widened the gap to 26 by halftime.

Norwich showed signs of momentum in the third, trimming the deficit to 24 on a pair of occasions following scores from Jessica Zimmerman (Turner, Maine) and an O'Brien free throw.  However, the Panthers closed the frame on a 14-3 run to extend the margin once again.

The Cadets connected on the first basket of the fourth quarter, as Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) found O'Brien for a layup, but the 33-point gap would be the closest Norwich came the rest of the way.

Despite the result, Norwich held a 9-7 edge in second-chance points and forced 19 Middlebury turnovers.  Eight different Cadets recorded a steal, paced by two from Lily Briggs (Fair Haven, Vt.).

Norwich continues its four-game road swing on Saturday, Nov. 22, with an intrastate matchup against Vermont State University Johnson.  Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at the historic Barre Auditorium in Barre, Vt.