NASHUA, N.H. - The Norwich University women's basketball team held back a pesky Rivier University squad with a decisive fourth-quarter surge, earning a 73-60 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) road win on Tuesday evening at the Muldoon Center.

Five Cadets reached double figures, led by 16 points from Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.), who also collected seven rebounds and dished out four assists.  Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) went 5-6 from the floor to finish with 15 points, while Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) and Jade Garceau (Fairfield, Vt.) chipped in 12 points apiece.  Jessica Zimmerman (Turner, Maine) added 10 points, including a pair of key three-pointers.

After Rivier opened the scoring on its first possession, the Cadets responded with seven straight points on buckets from Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.), Ellsworth, and Zimmerman.  The Raiders answered with a 6-0 run of their own, but Norwich closed the first quarter strong, getting late scores from Zimmerman and Kittredge to take an 11-8 lead after 10 minutes.

Both offenses came alive in the second quarter, with Rivier pushing in front midway through the frame to claim a 22-21 edge.  The teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the half, never separating by more than two points.  Ellsworth nudged the Cadets ahead in the final minute, but a Raiders three in the closing seconds sent the hosts into halftime with a 36-35 lead.

Rivier struck first again in the third quarter, using a 5-0 burst to take a three-point lead, but Norwich responded with a 7-0 run to regain control.  After the Raiders pulled even at 47-all, Garceau scored four straight points to push Norwich back in front, a lead the Cadets would not relinquish.

Norwich pulled away for good in the fourth, holding Rivier scoreless for a four-minute stretch while building a 13-point cushion.  The Raiders trimmed the margin briefly with consecutive layups, but the Cadets closed with authority, converting six free throws down the stretch from Garceau, Laster, and Kittredge to seal their third-straight GNAC win.

Norwich held a decisive 29-12 edge in bench scoring and finished a perfect 13-13 at the foul line, one of their best free-throw shooting performances of the season, while narrowly outscoring Rivier in the paint, 28-24.

The Cadets will close out the week on the road at Albertus Magnus College on Saturday, Jan. 24, for a 1:00 p.m. GNAC matchup.  Norwich then returns home for a pair of games, hosting SUNY Cobleskill in a rescheduled non-conference tilt on Monday, Jan. 26, before welcoming Lasell University on Wednesday, Jan. 28.