PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The eighth-seeded Norwich University women's basketball team downed No. 5 Johnson & Wales University 72-59 in the semifinal of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament. The Cadets become the first No. 8 seed in league history to advance to the GNAC championship game.
With the win, the Cadets improve to 15-12, while the Wildcats conclude their season at 10-17.
The Cadets advance to their first GNAC Championship game since the 2006-07 season. Norwich will travel to No. 2 Saint Joseph's (ME) on Saturday. For the first time in seven years, the GNAC will have a new tournament winner, as the Cadets defeated the seven-time defending champions, top-seeded Emmanuel, in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Junior Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) led the Cadets with a game-high 28 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 effort at the free-throw line. Classmate Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.) added 15 points including a three-for-three effort from three-point range. Freshman Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats saw two 14-point performances by D'Ana Rolle and Jenna Juron. Valerie Arce added nine points, while Natalie DiCocco chipped in with eight.
The Cadets led by as many as 20 in the second half, but a late surge by the Wildcats made it a game again with under two minutes to play. JWU sparked a 13-0 run in two-and-a-half minutes to cut Norwich's lead to seven points with 1:20 still to play. With the momentum swinging in the Wildcats' favor, a pair of timely free-throws ended the Cadets drought. Forced to foul as time was expiring, JWU sent Curry to the line three more times and senior Kristin Brown (Williamstown, Vt.) once as the Cadets ended the game with an 8-2 scoring advantage.
Norwich hit 11 field goals and shot 47.8 percent from the floor in the second half. The Cadets held the advantage at the free-throw line, as the Cadets hit 15-of-17 attempts in the final stanza. The Wildcats hit 12 field goals including three three-pointers in the second half, but were outscored at the free-throw line, hitting just six-of-nine.
The Wildcats were first to score in the contest, as DiCocco hit a three-pointer after two minutes of scoreless action following the tip. The Cadets quickly responded with a layup by Curry, but the Wildcats controlled the lead for the six minutes. Down by four, Lotti and Brown hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Cadets up 12-10 with 12:20 still to play in the half.
Norwich would use the next minute to open up a nine-point gap and led 20-11 with 11:04 to play following another three-pointer by Lotti. However, the Wildcats made another push and sparked a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead at 26-25 following a jumper by Valarie Arce at the 3:12 mark.
The lead was short lived, as LeBlanc collected an offensive rebound and put the ensuing layup in with 2:17 on the clock. The Cadets forced a Wildcat turnover on the next play, and Curry was fouled and sent to the line, where she drained both to give the Cadets the 29-26 lead. Curry was again sent to the line with 30 second to play and again hit both, and was followed by a pair of free-throws by Lotti with 10 seconds left to give Norwich the 33-26 halftime lead.
The Cadets connected on 37.9 percent of field goals in the first half including five three-pointers, and both teams were 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) from the line. JWU hit nine field goals and shot 39.1 percent from the floor, but only two were from behind the arc.
Norwich outrebounded JWU 42-21 on the evening and held an 11-4 scoring advantage in second-chance points. The Wildcats held advantages in points off turnovers (20-16) and bench points (9-4).
*Release courtesy of Norwich University Sports Information Dept.