NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The #4-seeded Norwich University women's basketball team (12-12, 8-4 GNAC) will host #5 Lasell University (19-6, 8-4 GNAC) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Quarterfinal game on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7:00 p.m. inside Andrews Hall.

The Cadets are seeking to advance to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2017, in addition to the program's first GNAC Tournament victory since 2022.  The Lasers, meanwhile, are looking to qualify for their first-ever GNAC Semifinal.  Norwich last hoisted the GNAC crown in the mid-2000s, claiming titles in 2000 and 2006, before making runs to the championship game in 2007, 2010, and 2014.  Lasell has earned six berths to the GNAC Tournament in their 18-year history within the league since 2007-08, with this season marking their third-straight trip.

BY THE NUMBERS:
Norwich:

• The Cadets enter winners of four of their last six tilts, including a thrilling 68-62 victory over Elms College in the regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 21.  A pair of Cadets posted double-digits, spearheaded by a 20-point showcase on an 8-14 clip from Gracie Laster (Arlington, Va.), to go with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.  Cassidy Kittredge (Waterford, Vt.) flirted with a near double-double, adding 11 points and seven caroms off the bench with three steals.  10 different Cadets scored in the victory, as Norwich shot a blistering 49.0% from the floor while maintaining a dominant 43-11 edge in bench points.
• Few teams in the GNAC have shot as effectively and efficiently as the Cadets, who rank second in the GNAC and within the top 100 nationally in field goal percentage at 40.7%, joining just Emmanuel College (42.0%) and New England College (40.0%) as conference teams to shoot at least 40.0%.  Norwich has eclipsed that mark in 14 games this season, going 9-5 in those contests.  Norwich's most efficient outing came in the second tilt of the season, in a 94-63 victory over Gordon College where the Cadets maintained a season-best 58.2% mark.

Lasell:

• The Lasers have won their last four GNAC outings, most recently claiming a 76-65 victory at Mitchell to close the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 21.  Four Lasers netted double-digits, paced by a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double from Blaize Mack, while Laura Johnson posted an impressive 18 points and 24 caroms.  Abigail Duclos added 14 points, and Hailey Johnson provided a 10-point boost off the bench.  Lasell's offense was also electrifying, connecting on a 44.8% clip while hauling down 57 rebounds to just 27 for Mitchell.  The Laser defense contained the Mariners to just 31.9% from the floor and 17.6% from beyond the arc.
• No team in the GNAC rebounds better than the Lasers, who sit as the lone team in the league to grab at least 50 boards per game, maintaining a 50.5 mark.  Lasell leads the league in both offensive rebounding (18.0) and defensive rebounding (32.5) per game, outrebounding teams by a margin of 11.8 caroms.  The Lasers rank fourth nationally in rebounds per game, and have recorded more than 60 rebounds in five outings, all in wins over Westfield State University (67), Anna Maria College (63), Rivier University (63), Regis College (62), and Dean College (67).  Norwich held Lasell to one of their lowest outputs all season at 42, while collecting 34 caroms themselves.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Norwich:

• The Cadets have been led by a trio of double-digit scorers this season, with Cassidy Kittredge, Maggi Ellsworth (West Topsham, Vt.), and Gracie Laster all averaging over 10 points per game.  Kittredge paces the team with 12.5 points, having recorded double-figures in 16 of 24 appearances this season, including in her four most recent outings.  The Vermont native logged a career-best 25 points against the Lasers in January, while also posting 21-point efforts in wins over Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Colby-Sawyer College.
• Ellsworth and Laster round out the double-digit scorers with 11.6 and 10.5 points, respectively.  Ellsworth has tallied double-digits in 14 games, while leading the team in rebounding (6.0) behind three double-doubles.  She registered a career-high 26 points in a pair of outings in a seven-day span, first against Albertus Magnus College and then Regis College, drilling five three-pointers in each tilt.  Laster recorded 12 double-digit efforts this season, including a career-best 21 points against Dean College.  She tallied 20 points in the regular season opener over VTSU Castleton and regular season finale against Elms.

Lasell:

• Four Lasers have averaged double-digits this year, with Shirle Major and Laura Johnson nearly equaling each other at 12.6 and 12.5 points per game, respectively.  Major has racked up 12 double-digit performances this year, including a season-high 27 points in outings against Farmingdale State and Albertus Magnus, drilling seven three-pointers in the victory over the Falcons last week.  Johnson, meanwhile, has been a force on the boards, leading all of Div. III women's basketball in overall rebounds (485) and rebounds per game (19.4).  She has amassed 21 games with double-digit points, including eight-straight to close the season.  She has hauled down over 20 rebounds in 13 contests, including a season-best 27 twice against Westfield State and Anna Maria.
• Blaize Mack and Abigail Duclos also average double-figures, with Mack recording 11.7 points and Duclos adding 10.5 per game.  Mack has closed the season strong, logging at least 19 points in four of her last five tilts, including consecutive 20-point showcases against Saint Joseph's (Maine) and Elms.  Duclos registered a season-best 21 points against Dean in mid-January, and closed the year with back-to-back double-digit performances against Colby-Sawyer and Mitchell.

LAST TIME OUT:

• The Cadets and Lasers met in late January, in a 68-55 victory for Norwich inside Andrews Hall on Jan. 28, 2026.  Lasell controlled the affair early, taking a 20-11 lead after the opening quarter before Norwich erupted on both sides of the court, outscoring the Lasers, 23-2, in the second frame.  The Cadets withheld a third-quarter rally by the Lasers, which saw Norwich's lead whittle to three to open the final quarter, but a late 9-0 rally by the Cadets halfway through the stanza proved insurmountable for Lasell.
• Three Cadets and two Lasers notched double-digits, with Cassidy Kittredge and Maggi Ellsworth pacing the effort on 25 and 19 points, respectively, while Jessica Zimmerman (Turner, Maine) added 10 points.  Erica Lendall led the Lasers off the bench with 18 points on six triples, while Laura Johnson posted 14 points and 23 rebounds.  The Lasers were held to a 30.1% shooting clip from the floor and just 21.9% from beyond the arc, while Norwich maintained marks of 41.9% (FGs), 41.7% (3PTs), and 91.7% (FTs).

HISTORY ON THE HARDWOOD:

• The Lasers have been on a historic tear this season, amassing 19 overall wins for the first time since the 2000-01 season.  Lasell fell in the GNAC Tournament Play-In game last season at Elms, closing the 2024-25 campaign with an 11-15 overall record and 6-8 mark in league play.  This year, the Lasers opened the season with seven-straight victories and closed the first semester with a dominant 9-1 record.  After experiencing a three-game losing streak in the midst of GNAC action against Norwich, Emmanuel, and Saint Joseph's (Maine), the Lasers have closed the regular season on a high note, with victories over Elms (81-50), Albertus Magnus (73-53), Colby-Sawyer (71-66), and Mitchell (76-65).
• The Cadets return to the postseason after missing out on the tournament last year, finishing the 2024-25 campaign with a 10-14 overall record and 4-10 mark in the GNAC.  Norwich closed the first semester with a 4-7 record, but have fared significantly better in the second semester with an 8-5 mark since the new year.  Since back-to-back victories over Colby-Sawyer and Mitchell to open February, the Cadets have gone back-and-forth in the win-loss column in their final four outings with wins over the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and Elms and losses to New England College and Emmanuel College.
• Norwich and Lasell last met in the conference tournament four years ago, on Feb. 22, 2022, in the GNAC Play-In Game, in a 58-48 win for the Cadets.  Haley Brewster led the Cadets with 18 points, while Skylar Burzynski and Erika Thomas added 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Jasmine DePina was the lone Laser in double-digits, posting 15 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Cadets are on the hunt for their second-straight victory over the Lasers, after last falling to the Lasers, 69-56, in Newton, Mass., on Feb. 15, 2025.

GNAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET (Hosted by higher seeds):

• Wednesday, Feb. 25 - QUARTERFINALS
  • #8 New England College at #1 Emmanuel - 6:00 p.m.
  • #7 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at #2 Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 5:00 p.m.
  • #6 Albertus Magnus at #3 Regis - 6:00 p.m.
  • #5 Lasell at #4 Norwich - 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 27 - SEMIFINALS
  • #1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner – TBD
  • #2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner – TBD
• Sunday, Mar. 1 - CHAMPIONSHIP
  • Semifinal Winners - TBD

Wednesday's winner moves into the GNAC Semifinals on Friday, Feb. 27, to play the winner of top-seeded Emmanuel College and eighth-seeded New England College.  The tournament, originally scheduled for Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, was rescheduled to Wednesday/Friday/Sunday due to the recent snowstorm.