NORTHFIELD, Vermont - Norwich University was able to jump out to an early 1st half advantage and held on down the stretch, closing out the University of Maine at Farmington in a non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday evening. The Cadets built a 43-21 lead in the 1st half and were able to fend off the feisty Beavers, 65-50.

With the score knotted up at nine after the opening four minutes of the game, Norwich closed out the 1st quarter on an 11-3 run to take an eight-point lead into the 2nd quarter. 

The Beavers shot just 22.2% from the field in the opening quarter, knocking down 2-13 from beyond the arc. The Beavers offense continued to struggle knocking off the holiday break rust in the 2nd quarter as they were outscored 23-9 in the quarter. The Cadets shot 42.1% from the field in the quarter en route to taking a 22-point advantage into the halftime intermission.

Farmington turned their struggles around in the 3rd quarter, opening up the half on a 13-2 run to cut their deficit to just eleven. Junior forward Sarah Poli (Benton, Maine) sparked the Beaver run, tallying ten of the 13 points, helping pull the Beavers back into the game. 
The Cadets responded with a quick scoring spurt of their own as Erika Thomas scored six straight points of her own, extending their advantage to 17.

Back to back buckets from Jacqui Hamilton (Gorham, Maine) and Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) pulled the Beavers back within 13 heading into the 4th quarter.

The 4th quarter was evenly played but the Beavers were unable to cut into the 13-point deficit shooting just 26.7% from the field in the quarter.

Poli led the Beavers offensively, scoring a game-high 17 points while also adding ten rebounds to secure her third double-double of the season. Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) added 11 points for the Beavers. 

The Cadets were paced by Thomas who scored 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, knocking down 3-4 from beyond the arc. Haley Brewster chipped in with 15 points and five boards.

The Cadets improved to 6-5 on the season while the Beavers drop to 3-8.

UP NEXT

The Beavers are set to host Lesley University in a North Atlantic Conference contest on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM.