NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Saint Joseph's (Conn.) held the Cadets off by two points going into halftime, but a layup and free throw from sophomore Jessalyn Sweeney within the first few plays of the second half would give the Cadets a lead the Blue Jays would be unable to recover from. Without ever letting up, Norwich earned the conference win, 83-72, on Tuesday in Andrews Hall.
The Cadets (9-4, 2-0 GNAC) are on a hot streak in 2011, earning their fourth victory in as many games since returning from the break, and the team's seniors have certainly risen to their opponents challenges.
Saint Joseph's (Conn.) had three players record double-digit points, but unable to catch the Cadets in the second half, the Blue Jays fell to an 0-2 GNAC record and now sit at 7-4 overall.
For Norwich, senior captain Christine Daniels seems untouchable, as she recorded her 13th double-double this season with 20 points and 14 boards. Daniels went 9-of-13 in shooting and sank two of three attempted free-throws.
Classmate Laurel McWilliams has also been a key contributor to the Cadets' success these last few games, as she joined Daniels with double-double status. McWilliams sank seven free-throws and was 6-of-11 in shooting, giving her 19 points to go along with her 10 rebounds. McWilliams was credited with two assists and made one steal during the action.
Matching Daniels' 20 points was classmate Karissa Doyon, who sank one 3-pointer, while shooting 7-of-14 and 5-of-6 from the line. Doyon also made three steals and one block, while feeding her teammates the ball to earn three assists.
Many of the Cadet athletes recorded important stats in the night's conference win. Freshman Kristin Brown and senior Megan Gingras were credited with four assists apiece, while sophomore Andrea Vogt shot 3-of-4 and sank two 3-pointers in the action.
Putting up double-double figures for the Blue Jays, freshman Mary Hyde made an even 10 boards – five on offense, five on defense – and by shooting 7-of-16 and sinking two 3-pointers tallied up 16 points on the night.
Adding 14 points apiece to the scoreboard for Saint Joseph's (Conn.) was freshman Diamond Doe and senior Ilaria Schiano. Doe also made nine boards and four steals, earning two assists while Schiano's received one assist.
Norwich returns to the road for their next two games, playing conference opponent Simmons College on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by another GNAC contest against the Mustangs of Mount Ida the following Wednesday for a 5 p.m. tip-off.
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