Women’s Basketball Falls to Norwich, 60–58, in GNAC Road Game Saturday

NORTHFIELD, Vt. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team fell short on the road against Norwich University, 60–58, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Saturday afternoon inside Andrews Gym in Northfield, Vt. With the result, the Blue Jays fell to 7–16 overall and 5–5 in GNAC play, while the Cadets improved to 11–11 overall and 7–3 in conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a back-and-forth opening stretch, sophomore guard Ella Kulas (Cheshire, Conn.) gave USJ an 8–7 lead with 4:51 left in the first quarter. Norwich answered with a 4–0 run, but junior forward Madeline Greene (Storrs, Conn.) converted a late putback to trim the deficit to 11–10 after one.

USJ caught fire from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Freshman forward Reagan Heafey-De Angelis (South Windsor, Conn.), sophomore guard Trinity Cruz (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and freshman guard Maddy Evans (Hebron, Conn.) buried three straight triples to put the Blue Jays ahead 19–17. Evans added another three to make it 22–19, but Norwich closed the half on a 9–1 run to take a 28–23 lead into the break.

The Blue Jays quickly erased the deficit in the third, opening on a 7–0 run fueled by five points from sophomore guard Sequoia Turcotte Briggs (Andover, Conn.) to move in front 30–28. Norwich responded with a 7–2 stretch to reclaim the lead, and after baskets from Evans and junior forward Kiatyanna Denmark (New Britain, Conn.), the Cadets scored in the final seconds to carry a 37–36 edge into the fourth.

The teams traded blows early in the final period before Cruz knocked down a three-pointer to give USJ a 43–40 advantage. Norwich answered with six straight, but Cruz tied the game at 46–46 with her third triple of the afternoon. A Greene layup later pushed USJ ahead by four, yet the Cadets responded with a 5–0 run to regain a 52–51 lead with 1:50 remaining. Sophomore guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) converted a driving layup to put USJ back on top, 54–52, but Norwich answered with a go-ahead three with 39 seconds left. The Blue Jays had chances at the line but could not capitalize, and the Cadets secured the 60–58 victory at the free-throw line.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Greene and Kulas paced the offense with 11 points apiece.
• The point total marked a new career high for Greene.
• Kulas pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season.
• Yorke dished out a team-best five assists while adding a team-high three steals.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Cadets from the field, 40.0 percent (20-of-50) to 30.6 percent (19-of-62).
• USJ held Norwich to 19.0 percent from three-point range, compared to 41.2 percent for the Blue Jays.
• The Blue Jays narrowly outrebounded the Cadets, 42–41.
• Turnovers proved costly, as the Cadets scored 21 points off 19 USJ turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to West Hartford for the final time in the 2025–26 regular season, hosting New England College in a GNAC matchup Tuesday, February 17. Opening tipoff against the Pilgrims inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium is set for 5:00 p.m.

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