BARRE, Vt. - A hot start, balanced scoring, and aggressive defensive pressure fueled the Norwich University men's basketball team to an emphatic 82-62 victory over Vermont State University Johnson on Saturday afternoon at the historic Barre Auditorium.
Four Cadets finished in double figures, led by a 19-point, nine-rebound effort from
Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.), who went 8-10 from the free-throw line and patrolled the glass throughout the day.
Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) poured in 15 points and handed out five assists, while
Riley Severy (Barre, Vt.) and
Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.) added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Norwich set the tone early after a quiet opening two minutes, racing out to an 8-0 run off contributions from DuBrul, Nogard, and Ricketts. VTSU Johnson broke through with its first bucket just before the four-minute mark, but the Cadets responded immediately with back-to-back threes from
Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) and
Daniel Bogre (Colchester, Vt.) to crack open a 15-5 advantage.
Another flurry of offense followed as Norwich strung together a 7-1 run capped by a Ricketts layup to push the lead to 22-6. The Badgers chipped away to pull within 11, but the Cadets connected for key buckets late in the half, and a smooth assist from
Noah Hutchinson (Montclair, N.J.) to Severy gave Norwich its largest lead of the stanza at 20. The Cadets entered the break leading, 46-26.
The second half saw both teams trade baskets through the opening stretch, but Norwich extended the margin to 26 behind another quick 6-0 run with contributions from Bogre,
Niklas Nordberg (Fairfield, Pa.), and Severy.
VTSU Johnson mustered a late push to cut the lead to 13 with just over six minutes to play, but the Cadets slammed the door shut with a 7-0 spurt featuring a DuBrul triple and clutch defensive stops. A Ricketts layup in transition gave Norwich a 23-point lead before a Badger three-pointer in the waning seconds brought the final margin to 20.
Norwich dominated in key areas, outscoring the Badgers, 34-14, in the paint and 21-6 in points off turnovers. The Cadets also logged a 13-0 advantage in second chance points, 21 assists on 30 made shots, and connected on 44.8% from the field, including 11 three-pointers on 40.7% shooting from beyond the arc.
The Cadets will return to Andrews Hall on Monday, Dec. 1, to host Skidmore College in a 6:00 p.m. non-conference matchup, before turning their attention to the annual
Ed Hockenbury Classic on Dec. 6-7, welcoming the University of Maine at Fort Kent, Eastern Connecticut State University, and Western New England University to Northfield.
