Dartmouth, MA -- Presque Isle took an early lead but could not hold on, losing to Norwich University 78-50 on day two of the UMass-Dartmouth Tip-Off Classic.

The Owls showed great resiliency, coming back from a 54 point loss on day one of the Classic, starting the game with three straight 3-pointers to give the Owls the lead they held onto until Aliah Curry knocked down a 3 with 7:49 left in the first half to put Norwich ahead 16-14.

The remainder of the first period would go back and forth with the smaller Owls playing a scrappy defensive game against the much larger crew from Norwich.  The size advantage was most evident on the backboards as Presque Isle was out rebounded 35-13 in the first half and 58-25 for the game.

The Owls were able to run quality offensive sets and shot 44% in the first half, including 9 of 16 from downtown to keep the Norwich halftime lead to a manageable margin of five points, at 41-36.

The hot hand that the Owls collectively had in the first twenty minutes of play cooled quickly after Presque Isle point guard Darby Toth scored the first basket of the second half to cut the Norwich lead to 41-38.  The chill the Owls experienced in the second half was epically poor, hitting on just 6 of 33 attempts.

Over the next 8 minutes, Norwich went on a 20-3 run highlighted by 12 points scored in the paint as the undersized Owls fought to contain the post players from Norwich.  Owls newcomer Lacey McQuarrie knocked down a jumper at the 10:38 mark to stop the bleeding with Norwich ahead 63-43, but the damage was done to the Owls hopes of coming away with an upset win.

Curry had 25 for Norwich and Heather LeBlanc added 19 and a game high 14 rebounds.

Toth lead the way for the Owls with 18 points, 9 assists, 4 steals and only one turnover on her way to being named to the Classic all-tournament team.  Sophomore Sydney Churchill had 9 points and Rebecca Campbell added 9 rebounds for the Owls. 

The Owls will next play Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor on Monday, November 24 at 5:30pm.