BARRE, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team snapped a two-game skid in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, using a dominant second-quarter run and a 40-point bench effort to take down in-state foe Vermont State University Johnson, 71-56, in non-conference action at the historic Barre Auditorium.

Three Cadets reached double figures, led by freshman Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) with a team-high 16 points, four steals, and four rebounds.  Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) added 12 points and eight rebounds in a near double-double, while Jade Garceau (Fairfield, Vt.) chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Following a scoreless opening minute, the Badgers struck first on a three-pointer before Kittredge got Norwich on the board with a putback jumper.  VTSU Johnson held a slim lead for most of the first quarter until back-to-back Garcreau buckets gave the Cadets a 12-11 advantage.  A Badger triple knotted the game at 15-15 heading into the second frame.

Norwich seized control early in the second with a go-ahead trey from Siobhan O'Donnell (Queens, N.Y.), kickstarting a 15-4 run.  Timely offense and active team defense helped the Cadets pull away, turning a 27-23 lead into a 15-point cushion by halftime.  Laster closed the quarter with two free throws to make it 42-27 at the break.

A triple from Lily Briggs (Fair Haven, Vt.) extended the margin to 18 early in the third, but the Badgers hung around, slicing the deficit to 11 midway through the quarter.  Norwich held firm, however, with another Laster flurry to end the period and restore a 16-point gap heading into the fourth.

The Cadets took their largest lead at 68-47 after a transition three-pointer by Mallorie Chalmers (Milton, Vt.) off an assistant from Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.).  VTSU Johnson capitalized on a handful of late Norwich turnovers to pull closer, but the result was never in doubt as the Cadets secured the 15-point win.

Norwich finished with sizable advantages across several metrics, including a 40-10 edge in bench points, a 22-7 lead in second chance scoring, and a 33-15 advantage in points off turnovers.  The Cadets also outrebounded the Badgers, 52-46, including a 22-10 margin on the offensive glass.

With the win, Norwich improves to 3-2 overall and will wrap up its pre-Thanksgiving slate with a Tuesday afternoon road trip to Utica University on Nov. 25.  Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.  The Cadets then return home for a Dec. 2 meeting with SUNY Cobleskill at 6:00 p.m. inside Andrews Hall.