NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. - The Norwich University women's basketball team wrapped up the 2025 calendar year with their fourth consecutive non-conference loss, falling to Mount St. Joseph University, 63-44, on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the 2025 New York City Invitational at Baruch College's ARC Arena.

Kiley O'Brien (Kingston, Mass.) led the Cadets in scoring, tallying 11 points on 5-6 shooting in just 18 minutes of action.  Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) and Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.) chipped in nine points apiece off the bench, each finishing with four made field goals.

After Mount St. Joseph opened the scoring, O'Brien quickly answered with a three-pointer off a Lily Briggs (Fair Haven, Vt.) assist just 32 seconds into the game.  Norwich briefly trailed 7-5 before tightening defensively, holding the Lions scoreless for more than three minutes while buckets from Ellsworth and Kittredge helped the Cadets close the first quarter with a 9-7 lead.

The Lions seized control in the second frame, opening the period on a 7-0 run and outscoring Norwich, 19-6, across the quarter.  Although Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.) ended a brief scoring drought with a layup to cut the deficit to single digits, Mount St. Joseph pushed the lead to 13, before Eleonore Collins (Waterville, N.Y.) scored at the buzzer on a dish from Kittredge to close the quarter, trimming the halftime gap to 26-15.

Both offenses found a better rhythm in the second half, but the Lions maintained control.  A mid-third-quarter surge pushed the Mount St. Joseph lead to 18, and although Norwich responded with back-to-back baskets from Ellsworth and Kittredge, the Cadets were unable to generate sustained momentum, trailing by 15 entering the final frame.

Norwich tallied 19 points in the fourth quarter, but the Lions extended the margin to as much as 21, taking a 62-41 lead with 1:35 remaining.  O'Brien added a final bucket in the closing seconds to bring the game to its final margin.

The Cadets held slim edges in bench points (26-23) and rebounds (35-34), while shooting 36.0% from the field.

Norwich will now turn the page to 2026 and return home for three-straight games to open the New Year.  The Cadets will first host Babson College on Wednesday, Jan. 7, for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference tilt, before kicking off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with home games against Dean College on Jan. 14 and Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Jan. 17.