NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich women's basketball team was well prepared to put away GNAC-foe Pine Manor on Saturday afternoon in Andrews Hall, as the Cadets defeated the Gators, 81-50.
The Cadets (13-5, 5-1 GNAC) came together as a team to overcome the Gators, with many players contributing in a variety of skilled areas. Senior Christine Daniels led with 19 points and 15 points as she keeps her double-double steak alive. She was 6-of-11 in shooting, 7-of-8 from the line, and make two steals and two assists against the Gators.
Freshman Kristin Brown and senior Karissa Doyon each contributed five assists apiece, setting up teammates such as sophomore Andrea Vogt who recorded 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
For the Gators (5-12, 2-5 GNAC), junior Paulette Wright was the key contributor on her team, as she put up 14 boards and 11 points. Teammates collecting eight points apiece were juniors Therline Dumeran and Phibe Pham, and sophomore Tia Nelson, as Dumeran and Nelson also each recorded two assists, as well.
The whole game seemed to be in the bag for Norwich, as the Cadets held the lead for the entire game. With the exception of Wright's jumper in the eighth minute of action to tie the score at 11-all, the 18-point spread at halftime, 40-22, made for a difficult second-half comeback for the Gators.
The energy in Andrews Hall quickly elevated to an even higher level of excitement when Daniels hit her 1,000th career basket on the first play of the second half, just nine seconds in. The Cadets continued to pull away from their opponents and increase the spread of competition, as they led by 34 points in the remaining two minutes of the game.
Norwich returns to the road for their next two games, playing a non-conference game Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by a scheduled 5:30 p.m. GNAC competition at Lasell on Thursday.
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