NORTHFIELD, Vt. - A strong first-quarter start faded away for the Norwich University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as the Cadets fell to a second-quarter surge by New England College and dropped a 65-50 decision in the 2025 Ed Hockenbury Classic Championship inside Andrews Hall.

Despite the loss, Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) capped her weekend with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double to earn a spot on the Hockenbury All-Classic Team.  Jade Garceau (Fairfield, Vt.) joined her on the squad, while Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) added 11 points off the bench in Saturday's finale.

Norwich opened the contest on a pair, holding the Pilgrims scoreless for the first 3:30 and surging ahead to a 5-0 lead behind buckets from Mallorie Chalmers (Milton, Vt.), Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.), and Siobhan O'Donnell (Queens, N.Y.).  The Cadets twice pushed their edge to nine in the opening frame, with Ellsworth and Kittredge fueling the offense, before New England College's Jayden Estrada knocked down a three-pointer to cut the margin to 13-7 after one.

The Pilgrims seized momentum in the second, rattling off a 5-0 burst in just 31 seconds to trim the lead to one.  A timely jumper from O'Brien briefly stemmed the tide, but New England College responded with a 15-0 onslaught to flip the game and grab a 12-point advantage with under four minutes left in the half.  Jessica Zimmerman (Turner, Maine) snapped the drought with a free throw, helping narrow the deficit to 29-20 heading into the break.

New England College continued to apply pressure early in the third, extending the lead to 14 before Norwich clawed back into the game with a spirited 13-4 run.  Garceau's corner triple capped the rally, cutting the deficit to five with 2:49 remaining.  After a brief New England College answer, Kittredge converted a pair of foul shots to keep Norwich within reach, but the Cadets were unable to draw any closer.

Ellsworth opened the fourth with a bucket to again trim the margin to six, but the Pilgrims answered each Norwich push, stringing together a 10-2 spurt that ballooned the lead to 15 at 61-46 with under three minutes to play.  New England College iced the contest from there, using free throws and interior scoring to keep the Cadets at arm's length.

Estrada earned Tournament MVP honors behind a 20-point outing with six three-pointers, while Camryn Lewis added 19 points and 17 rebounds to also claim a spot on the All-Classic Team.

The complete 2025 Ed Hockenbury Classic All-Classic Team included:

• Vermont State University Randolph:
  • #4 Jasmine Mooney
• University of Maine at Fort Kent:
  • #4 Ada Basoria
• Norwich:
  • #20 Cassidy Kittredge
  • #22 Jade Garceau
• New England College:
  • #32 Camryn Lewis
  • #11 Jayden Estrada (Most Valuable Player)

Norwich will now embark on a month-long road swing, beginning with a trip to Nichols College on Wednesday, Dec. 10, for a 5:30 p.m. non-conference tilt.  The Cadets then head to New York City for a two-day tournament hosted by Baruch College, where they will take on Rhodes College on Friday, Dec. 19, followed by Mount St. Joseph University on Saturday, Dec. 20.