NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's basketball team corralled a crucial Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory on Wednesday evening, downing New England College, 66-45, in Andrews Gymnasium.

Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) led all scorers in the affair, going 8-10 from the floor, including two treys, to rack up 20 points.  Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) also tallied double-digits, knocking down two three-pointers en route to 12 points.

An initial back-and-forth sequence saw Erika Thomas (Burlington, N.C.) give Norwich the first advantage before the Pilgrims immediately knotted the contest at 2-2.  A Brewster trey broke the deadlock, but a pair of Pilgrim freebies whittled the edge down to 5-4.  Thomas promptly responded with a three-pointer, igniting a 14-2 run that handed the Cadets a 13-point edge.

An offensive struggle in the second quarter saw both squads score less than 10 points apiece, but the Cadets were able to keep the visitors at bay throughout the remainder of the contest.  New England College threatened to trim the lead down to single-digits, yet Norwich had an answer every time, finally pushing the lead to its final margin of 21 on a Brewster jumper with 40 seconds left.

The Cadets thrived inside, maintaining a 30-20 edge in points in the paint while also outscoring the Pilgrims, 8-2, in fast break points.

Norwich held a 44.8% shooting clip from the floor while drilling seven long-range shots, all the while restricting New England College to a woeful 12.5% from beyond the arc and 30.9% on field goals.  The Cadet defense generated 21 Pilgrim miscues, earning steals on 12 of those.

The win marks a significant one for the Cadets as the GNAC playoff race continues to heat up, as Norwich will now prepare for a pair of road contests, including a Saturday, Feb. 15, showdown at Lasell University, set for 1:00 p.m. in Newton, Mass.  The Cadets then travel to Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Tuesday, Feb. 18, before returning home to host Mitchell College for Senior Day in the regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 22.