Sophomore forward Heather LeBlanc and Senior guard Aliah Curry combined for 35 points to lead the Norwich University women's basketball team to a 63-53 win against the Badgers of Johnson State College on Tuesday evening in non-conference action.

With the win, the Cadets improve to 18-4 overall, while the loss drops the Badgers to 6-14 on the year.

LeBlanc totaled 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor (42.9 percent), including a 6-8 performance (75 percent) from the charity stripe to go along with the 14 rebounds for her third consecutive game with a double-double and her seventh of the year. Curry netted 17 points on a 8-of-17 effort from the floor (47.1 percent) with three rebounds and three steals on the night. 

Six additional players scored for Norwich with seniors Kelsey Lotti and Tory Kethro dishing out eight points with Lotti hitting two threes, while Kethro paced the Cadets on the boards with a career-high 15 rebounds. Freshman Shyann Josler posted six points with Leanne Winans, Leah Turcotte, and Emily Bonomi all adding two points apiece.

The Badgers were led by Domonique Carter-Stanley with 12 points and five rebounds. Ashley Goddard scored 11 points and added seven rebounds, while Sarah Voohis added a game-high nine rebounds. 

Norwich jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes of the contest and never looked back as the lead continued to swell throughout the half, to a 14 point lead at the 1:20 mark for the 33-19 score before the Badgers added two more points before the break.

The Badgers opened the second half with a 4-0 run, but LeBlanc would respond by nailing a jumper followed by a free throw on the foul. Johnson State would cut the lead to 11 only to be outmatched as the Cadets sparked a 7-0 run midway through the frame en route to the 63-53 win. Johnson State totaled 32 points in the second half on 22.6 percent shooting from the floor, while the Cadets netted their 30 second-half points on a 38.5 percent effort from field goal range. 

The Cadets held advantages in points off turnovers (6-5), second-chance points (8-4), and points in the paint (18-6). 

Norwich will return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday, Feb. 14 when they travel to Nashua, N.H. to take on Rivier University for a 1:00 p.m. game. Johnson will host Maine Maritime Academy on Friday night at 7:30 pm.