Women’s Basketball: Lady AMCATS Fall to Cadets, 73-64

NORTHFIELD, Vt.—Junior guard Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) scored 32 points to lead the Norwich University women's basketball team to a 73-64 win against the AMCATS of Anna Maria College on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

With the win, the Cadets improve to 11-10 overall and 3-5 in GNAC play, while the loss drops the AMCATS to 10-11 overall and 3-4 against league opponents.

Curry hit 11 of 24 field goal attempts, including a three-point basket, and was successful on nine of 11 free-throw attempts to total a game-high 32 points. Classmate Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

Anna Maria junior Trafficia Warburton (Worcester, Mass.) recorded a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Taylor Walker (Winchendon, Mass.) added 13 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Lindsay Bond (Webster, Mass.) netted 12 points.

Despite holding a 14-point lead at halftime, the Cadets' scoring went cold in the early minutes of the second half, which gave the AMCATS the opportunity to make it a close contest. Anna Maria would take their first lead of the day at 51-50 following a layup by Walker with 12:37 still to play. Norwich briefly took the lead back on a three-point basket by Lotti, but Anna Maria responded with a three-pointer of its own by Bond to reclaim the advantage.

Anna Maria would control the lead for almost five minutes but would be unable to open the gap to more than three points. With five minutes still to play, Lotti and LeBlanc teamed up to score five straight points and give the Cadets the 63-60 lead. It would mark the final lead change of the game.

Curry scored seven of her 32 points in the final four minutes of the game and LeBlanc and Lotti both hit a pair of free-throws in the final minute to fuel the Cadets' 73-64 win. Forced to foul for possession as time expired, the AMCATS sent Norwich to the line four times with under a minute to play.

Norwich hit just nine field goals in the second half (36.0 percent). Nine of the Cadets' 29 second-half points were scored at the free-throw line. The AMCATS hit 11 field goals in the second half, including three from behind the arc.

The first half was a different story for the Cadets, who scored off the tip-off and hit their first four field goals to quickly build a seven-point lead. The Cadets would hit 15 total field goals in the first half, and would lead by as many as 16 points late in the half.

Anna Maria shot 33.9 percent from the floor (20-59) and 76.0 percent (19-25) from the free-throw line over the full 40 minutes.

Norwich held a narrow advantage in points in the paint (32-30) and in fast break points (6-4), but Anna Maria bested the Cadets in points off turnovers (11-7) and second-chance points (20-7).

The AMCATS will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 11 as they take on Emmanuel College in GNAC action at 5:30 p.m.

Release courtesy of Norwich University Sports Information Department