FARMINGTON, Maine - The Norwich University women's basketball team withheld a furious first-half rally by the University of Maine-Farmington, securing their first victory of the 2024-25 season in their opening game of the UMF Classic after topping the Beavers, 66-50, on Friday evening.

Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) tied the game-high to pace the Cadets, going 6-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the stripe to log 18 points alongside eight caroms.  Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) tallied 15 points to go with eight boards, while Jessica Zimmerman (Turner, Maine) contributed key baskets with nine points in 22 minutes.

Norwich's victory marks the first collegiate coaching win for Head Coach Ute Otley, who took the reigns of the women's basketball program prior to the 2024-25 campaign.

A stagnant 3-2 affair over the opening five minutes was finally broken open by the Cadets, who quickly amassed an eight-point edge on three different occasions before the end of the first stanza.

Norwich's offense continued to erupt, embarking on an 8-0 run to kick off the second quarter en route to taking a 16-point lead.  It was short-lived, however, as Maine-Farmington rallied to trim the visitors' advantage down to one on a pair of freebies from Sarah Poli.

Despite the Cadets reclaiming momentum out of the intermission, the Beavers kept close, knotting the contest twice, including at a 40-all junction with 3:16 left in the third quarter.  That would be the closest the Beavers would get, however, as a Brewster jumper kick-started a 17-0 spurt by the Cadets over the ensuing six minutes.

The Cadet lead ballooned to as large as 22, courtesy of a Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.) putback to make it 64-42, as Norwich held strong for the 16-point victory.

Norwich thrived inside the paint, outscoring the Beavers, 38-20, while also maintaining a 19-13 edge in second-chance points.  The Cadets also finished with a 14-9 lead in bench points.

Defense was on full display for the Cadets, as Maine-Farmington shot just 23.8% from the floor while going 3-30 from beyond the arc.  Norwich, meanwhile, maintained a 41.3% shooting clip.

The Cadets will have a quick turnaround, taking on the University of Maine Presque Isle in the UMF Classic on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1:00 p.m.  The Owls suffered a 77-62 misstep to the University of Maine-Augusta in their first game of the two-day event.