NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Norwich University women's basketball team saw its three-game Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) winning streak come to a halt in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 69-65 setback to Albertus Magnus College at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Center.

Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) turned in a career-best outing with 26 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, knocking down five three-pointers and adding four assists.  Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) also finished in double figures with 10 points and a team-high five assists.

Norwich struck first on a Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.) putback and briefly led before Albertus Magnus connected from deep to claim a 3-2 edge.  After a 6-6 deadlock, the Cadets built momentum with a 7-0 run sparked by Ellsworth and Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.), only for the Falcons to respond with a 7-0 burst of their own.  A late layup by Mackenzie Griner (Bristol, Vt.) looked to give Norwich a narrow edge, but Albertus Magnus drilled a trey in the closing sequences to take a 16-15 lead after one.

The Cadets regained control in the second quarter, slowly building a six-point lead behind a Lily Briggs (Fair Haven, Vt.) triple.  Albertus Magnus closed the gap on back-to-back layups, but a timely Ellsworth three-pointer restored the margin to five with under a minute left.  The Falcons again surged, however, scoring five points in 24 seconds to send the game into halftime tied at 33.

Albertus Magnus carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring five quick points before a Kittredge triple got Norwich on the board.  The Falcons followed with another 7-0 stretch to push the lead to nine, a margin they held three different times during the frame.  Norwich trimmed the deficit to five late on Laster free throws and a layup from Eleonore Collins (Waterville, N.Y.), but a late Falcon basket made it 54-47 heading into the fourth.

The Falcons built their largest lead of the day at 59-49 early in the final stanza, but Ellsworth answered with back-to-back threes to spark a final Cadet push.  Down 65-60 with 1:21 remaining, Ellsworth drained a pair of free-throws before Kittredge forced a turnover, setting up Laster for a game-tying three with 35 seconds left.

The Cadets could not complete the comeback, however, as Albertus Magnus sealed the game with four-straight free-throws in the final 22 seconds while holding Norwich scoreless down the stretch.

Norwich held a 20-7 advantage in bench points and narrowly edged the Falcons on the glass, 47-46.

The Cadets will look to bounce back on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with a 7:00 p.m. home showdown against Lasell University.  Norwich will then travel to Regis College on Saturday, Jan. 31.  Monday's non-conference matchup with SUNY Cobleskill has been cancelled due to inclement weather.