Basketball Falls on the Road to Norwich, 68-48
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Joseph (Conn.) (5-7 (0-4 GNAC)) | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 48 |
|
Norwich (7-5 (3-2 GNAC)) | 18 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 68 |
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team controlled play down low to defeat the University of Saint Joseph, 68-48, inside Andrews Hall on Thursday evening. The Cadets outscored the Blue Jays 38-22 in points in the paint and held a 40-29 edge in the rebounding department. With the loss, USJ slips to 5-7 overall on the season and 0-4 in GNAC play. Norwich improves to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference with the victory.
Junior Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) led the way for the Blue Jays for the second consecutive game, posting a game-high and season-high 18 points in the setback. She also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and had five assists. Senior Carlee Putnam (Niantic, Conn.) joined Guest in double figures on the night, pouring in 11 points and has now finished in double figures in 11-of-12 games on the season.
The Cadets never trailed during regulation time, opening up a quick 11-6 lead through the game's first 3:37. After the Blue Jays tied the game at 11-11 following a 5-0 scoring run, the Cadets jumped out in front in the second quarter using 12-straight points to ultimately take a 39-24 lead heading into halftime.
Ahead by only 11 points with 3:55 to go in the third quarter, Norwich put the game out of reach using four-straight baskets to create a 55-36 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action. In the fourth quarter, a three-pointer from sophomore Victoria Brown (Lexington, Mass.) put Norwich ahead by a 65-43 score with only 3:50 left in regulation time and they would hold on for the eventual 68-48 win.
Norwich shot 43.5 percent (27-for-62) to fall just short of a season-high field goal percentage, while USJ connected on 42.0 percent (21-for-50) from the field.
Junior Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) assisted six of her team's 21 field goals on the evening and sophomore Dhimitra Hatika (South Windsor, Conn.) finished with five points and six rebounds.
The USJ basketball team will be back in action next on Saturday when they travel to Lasell College for a 1 p.m. tip-off with the Lasers inside the Athletic Center.