Mustangs Lose Tough Battle to Cadets in GNAC Opener
Newton, Mass. -- Norwich University went on a 15-2 run to open up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at Mount Ida Athletic Center on Saturday Afternoon and the Cadets never trailed in a 63-49 win over Mount Ida College in the Mustang's conference opener.
Brittany Crosby (Riverside R.I.) a Senior Forward, led the Mustangs in scoring with a team high 11 points. Jaime Moscato (Taunton, Mass.) followed Crosby in scoring by adding an additional 10 points herself. Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) a Senior Center, contributed a game high 14 rebounds.
The Cadets were led in scoring by Kayla Mercer (New Britain, Conn.) with a game high 16 points and 5 rebounds, followed by three Cadet players, Arianna Harrison (Vernon, Vt.), Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine), and Shyann Josler (Thetford Center, Vt.) who each added 12 points. Harrison anchored the defense end as well by posting a team high 13 rebounds.
The early 15-2 run that the Cadets went on was quickly stifled by the Mustangs as they came back to within three halfway through the second quarter. The 10-2 run by the Mustangs was led by Jessica Cyr (Ashford, Conn.) a freshman guard who nailed two huge back-to-back three pointers to bring the Mustangs within three.
Following Mount Ida's comeback, Norwich went on a 12-2 run themselves to shut down the Mustangs offensive flow going into halftime, led by Mercer who scored half of those points herself.
The Cadets never looked back in the second half, leading predominantly by double-digits and only allowed the Mustangs to come within 7 points for a small period of time. By shooting 34.3% from the field and 30.8% from three, the Cadets were able to rise over the Mustangs with a final score of 63-49.
Mount Ida College returns to play on January 3rd after the long Christmas. The Mustangs host Becker College at 5:00 PM in a non-conference matchup.
Norwich University returns to action on Tuesday December 13th as they host Castleton at 7:30 PM in a non-conference matchup before heading into the break.