The ball is in their court

Norwich's women's basketball team fell short in the second half to Plattsburgh State University 73-56 on Nov.15.

The Cadets gave the Cardinals a good run in the first half, which ended in 32-32.

At the start of the second half the Cadets stayed as close as five points.

"We just needed to connect more on our passes and making more free throws," said Kristine Brammer, a 20-year-old junior majoring in English from Littleton, N.H. "Making more lay-ups would have also improved the score."

In the final 5:35, Plattsburgh bolted off a 16-4 roll over the Cadets.

"This loss gives us space to grow, we're not going to dwell on it," said Kristin Brown, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in sports medicine from Williamstown, Vt. "We have to forget about it and move on to the next team."

Even though the Cadets lost, senior guard Karissa Doyon had a great game.

Doyon finished the game with a double-double, 24 points and 10 rebounds. That also marked her seventh 20 points or more game over the past two seasons, according to Norwich athletic website.

Aliah Curry, a freshmen guard, gave a good first impression finishing the game with 12 points, seven rebounds and was 7-7 from the free throw line.

The Cadets next prepared for the Hockenbury Tournament on Dec. 2-3 in Andrews Hall.

"If the team comes out and plays with passion and plays the best that we know we can ... we will improve from this loss," said Jocelyn Fasulo, a 21-year-old senior majoring in sports medicine from Contoocook, N.H. "It's going to take time to get the chemistry with the new players."

The Cadets took another big loss against Amherst, one of the top ranked teams in Division III women's basketball. They ended the season 32-1 with a national championship title behind it.

"We were definitely the underdog," said Brown. "We just went out and gave it our all."

"Though no one expected us to win, we wanted to prove them wrong, we played hard the whole game and they out executed us," said Fasulo.

The Cadets look to rebound and turn things around positively early in the season.

"We will have to continue to not let up and stay focused," said Captain Kesley Knapp, a 21-year-old senior majoring in criminal justice from Brandon, Vt. "As captain I'm there to keep my team up and have them finish hard!"

The team went 1-1 on the weekend. Their next stand was Tuesday, Dec. 8, in Andrews Gym where they tipped off against Southern Vermont at 7 p.m.