Women’s Basketball Notches 79-45 Win Over Norwich

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team cruised past Norwich 79-45 Thursday evening at the Lahue Athletic Center.

The Lions rise to 8-4 on the season with the victory while the Cadets drop to 3-5 overall.

Sydni Oviatt (Fruit Heights, Utah) poured in a game-high 21 points and grabbed five boards. Te'yalla Simpson (Fairfield, Texas) netted 13 points and collected four steals off the bench. Sophia Torres (Fort Mohave, Ariz.) finished with nine points and seven rebounds while Sara Ruzicka (Solon, Iowa) chipped in with nine points.

The home team sprinted out of the gates, gaining an 8-0 advantage just 1:23 into the contest.

The visitors pulled even at 10-10 with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter on a three-pointer by Haley Brewster.

Eastern Nazarene closed out the opening period with an 8-2 run to hold an 18-12 lead through 10 minutes of action.

The Lions extended their advantage to 11 points, 23-12, as Ruzicka canned a trey with 6:23 to go in the second.

The hosts chalked up the final 11 points of the frame to boast a 36-21 lead at the break.

Eastern Nazarene shot 46.4% from the floor and 30% from beyond the arc in the first two quarters. Norwich posted a field-goal percentage of 33.3% in the opening half while connecting on 3-of-8 from three-point range.

The Lions outscored the Cadets 23-4 in the third period to stretch the margin to 59-25 heading into the fourth.

The home side's largest lead came with 6:51 remaining in regulation as Shade Richardson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) splashed a corner three-pointer to widen the gap to 66-27.

Eastern Nazarene concluded the game with a field-goal percentage of 46% and drained 8-of-20 three-point attempts on the night. Norwich shot 29.1% from the floor and 23.1% from behind the arc.

Brewster paced the guests with 20 points and six rebounds while Skylar Burzynski and Maren McGinn each tallied eight points.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will return to the court after the calendar flips to 2022 with a home contest against Maine-Augusta January 6.