NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Senior guard Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) poured in a season-high 28 points, but the Norwich University men's basketball team came up short in a high-scoring affair on Tuesday evening, falling to New England College, 85-73, in non-conference action inside Andrews Hall.

Ndayishimiye knocked down 12 field goals on 25 attempts and added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a standout performance.  Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) followed with 18 points, including an 8-10 clip at the free-throw line.

Riley Severy (Barre, Vt.) added eight points, six boards, and two steals off the bench.  Daniel Bogre (Colchester, Vt.) supplied a game-high four steals.

After New England College opened the scoring, Ndayishimiye gave Norwich its only lead of the night with a three-pointer on the Cadets' first possession.  The Pilgrims responded with a 7-0 run to build an early cushion, but Norwich clawed back within three on another Ndayishimiye triple.

Trailing by as many as 11 in the first half, the Cadets responded with six straight points from Noah Hutchinson (Montclair, N.J.), Severy, and Bogre to cut the margin to five.  Ndayishimiye later knocked down back-to-back shots to bring Norwich within one, and DuBrul's late jumper trimmed the deficit to three before New England College closed the half with a deep three to take a 40-34 lead into the break.

The Pilgrims surged out of the locker room with a 12-1 run to take a 53-35 lead.  Despite a late push that saw the Cadets pull within nine on multiple occasions, New England College's lead ballooned to as many as 17 midway through the half.

A final 12-3 Norwich run, capped by a Niklas Nordberg (Fairfield, Pa.) triple, brought the deficit back to single digits with under two minutes to play, but the rally fell short.

The Cadets forced 21 turnovers on the night while committing just six of their own, turning the miscues into a commanding 27-2 edge in points off turnovers.  Norwich also led in second-chance points (15-7), bench scoring (18-12), and points in the paint (38-30).

Norwich hits the road on Saturday, Nov. 22, with an intrastate neutral-site matchup against Vermont State University Johnson.  Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. inside the historic Barre Auditorium in Barre, Vt.