NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team snapped a five-game skid in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, opening Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with an 82-55 victory over visiting Dean College in Andrews Gym.

The Cadets never trailed, setting the tone early and leaning heavily on their depth to secure the program's first conference win of the season.  Norwich saw contributions from 12 different players, with the bench unit delivering a decisive performance.

Freshman Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) paced the Cadets with a game-high 21 points off the bench, while freshman Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) added 17 points in just 15 minutes of action.  The freshmen duo fueled an explosive Norwich second and third quarters that put the game out of reach.

Norwich held a slim edge early in the opening quarter before Ellsworth provided an immediate spark off the bench on a clutch basket to extend Norwich's lead.  A mid-range jumper from Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) ignited a 12-0 run for the Cadets, capped by a smooth jumper in the paint by a red-hot Laster.  Norwich closed the quarter with a 21-9 advantage.

The momentum carried into the second quarter, as the Cadets extended the run to 16-straight before the Bulldogs found the basket.  Norwich's depth continued to overwhelm, maintaining a comfortable 17-point cushion heading into halftime.

The Cadets broke the game open in the third stanza, stretching their lead to as large as 26 behind strong performances from a freshman core of Laster, Kittredge, Ellsworth, and Mackenzie Griner (Bristol, Vt.).  The Norwich bench proved to be the difference throughout the night, ultimately pushing the Bulldogs' deficit to 29 en route to sealing the 27-point win within Andrews.

In total, 60 of Norwich's 82 points came from the bench, while the Cadets maintained significant advantages in fast break points (21-6), second chance points (14-5), and points in the paint (34-20), with a slim 18-15 edge in points off turnovers.

The Cadets decimated the Bulldogs on the glass, outrebounding Dean, 64-31, while maintaining a blistering 44.4% clip from the floor and holding the Bulldogs to just 27.0%.

Norwich will look to keep the momentum rolling on Saturday, Jan. 17, when the Cadets return to Andrews Gym to host reigning GNAC runners-up Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 1:00 p.m.  They will then hit the road for back-to-back GNAC duels at Rivier University and Albertus Magnus College on Jan. 20 and Jan. 24, respectively.