BOSTON, MASS. – A strong rally late in the second half couldn't propel a game Norwich University squad past Emmanuel Feb. 21.
The eighth-seeded Maroon and Gold, ending the season at 11-15, trailed the host and top-seeded Saints (20-6) by as much as 29 (61-32) in the second frame. Norwich whittled away at the deficit and trimmed it down to a 66-54 final due to a 22-5 stretch to close the game.
The freshman guard duo of Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) and Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.) led the way in scoring. Curry finished with 17 points to go with a team-high four assists. Lotti ended with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Early returns were good for the Cadets. Norwich held 3-2 and 13-12 leads during the opening eight minutes. However, Emmanuel's patented pressure defense helped put together a 22-5 run to turn the tide. NU managed to claw back within 11 (34-23), but Breanna Ockimey hit a pair of three-point buckets to extend the home team's edge to 43-26 at the break.
Ockimey's 17 points led three EC players in double figures. Meghan Kirwan chipped in 15 and picked up six steals, while Fiona O'Dwyer compiled a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
NOTES – Norwich was making its 11th consecutive appearance in the GNAC tournament. … Curry, whose 473 points marked the second-best single season total for any freshman in program history, recorded her 24th double-figure scoring output. She will go into her sophomore year with a string of 26 consecutive games with at least one made three-point basket. … Lotti also closed the season on a high note, recording double-figure scoring contests in three of the last four outings to have her points-per-game average rise five-tenths (7.0-7.5).