NORTHFIELD, Vt. - First year guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) netted 15 points to lead the Simmons College women's basketball team in a 65-44 loss to host Norwich University this evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest in Northfield, Vt. The Sharks fall to 5-7 overall and 0-2 in the league, while the Cadets improve to 8-6 and 1-2.
The Norwich defense held Simmons to just 21.4% (15-70) shooting on the night, but the Sharks controlled the offensive glass with 21 offensive rebounds.
Corsinetti came off the bench to knock down a trio of three-pointers and add three steals to go with a rebound for Simmons, while senior teammate Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.) contributed with eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and an assist. Junior forward Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) chipped in with six points and 11 boards.
Junior forward Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) scored a game-high 19 points on 8-9 from the floor in addition to 11 rebounds to post her sixth double-double of the year for the Cadets and also added two blocks, a steal and an assist. Sophomore Arianna Harrison (Vernon, Vt.) also registered a double-double for Norwich with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven assists, four steals and three blocks. Junior forward Leanne Winans (Hudson, N.H.) contributed as well with 12 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist in 16 minutes off the bench.
Senior guard Gracie Rolfe (Newton, Mass.) hit a jumper with 3:04 to play in the opening quarter to pull Simmons to within 12-8. The Cadets ripped off seven straight points, including five from sophomore guard Shyann Josler (Thetford, Vt.), to increase their lead to 19-8 with 1:51 showing in the first quarter. Corsinetti knocked down a three-pointer for the Sharks for the last points of the period to cut the deficit to 19-11 heading into the second quarter.
Norwich put the game out of reach with an 18-2 run to open the second period, fueled by nine points from LeBlanc, to take a 37-13 advantage with 1:56 to play in the period. Junior forward Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) netted the final four points of the quarter to pull Simmons to within 37-17 at the intermission.
Harrison drained a jumper for the Cadets to give them their largest lead of the night at 45-19 with 6:44 remaining in the period. The Sharks responded by scoring the next nine points of the game, led by five points from Corsinetti, to cut the margin to 45-28 with 4:47 on the third quarter clock. She later canned a three-pointer to make it 47-31 with 3:34 to play, but it was as close as Simmons would get for the remainder of the contest. Norwich reeled off seven straight points as part of an 9-4 run to close out the period with the home team owning a 56-35 lead.
The teams played even in the fourth quarter as the Cadets came away with the win.
The Sharks return to action on Thursday, January 14 when they host University of Maine Presque-Isle for a 7:00 p.m. game at Moore Gymnasium, while Norwich hosts Bowdoin College on the same night at 6:00 p.m.