Men's Basketball

Box Score 

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Raymond Askew scored a team-high 21 points and ripped down a game-high 12 rebounds, and Arshad Jackson netted 18 points off the bench as Albertus Magnus College defeated Norwich University, 86-80, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest Tuesday evening at Andrews Hall.

Jackson made four straight free throw attempts in the final 44 seconds to seal the win for the Falcons, who trailed by 10 points midway through the second half before rallying. Jefferson Lora added 16 points for Albertus Magnus, while Walden St. Juste chipped in 10 points and a game-high five assists.

The loss spoiled a tremendous performance by Norwich senior F Israel Guardado, who pumped in a career-high 25 points and snared nine rebounds. Junior G/F Jaren Jeffcoat posted a double-double with 21 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore F Antonio Davis added 10 points and five caroms. The Cadets, who have lost four of their last six games, fall to 11-8 (6-6 GNAC).

Albertus Magnus (15-4, 11-1 GNAC) trailed 62-52 with 12:15 remaining, but a pair of three-pointers by Jackson ignited a 13-3 spurt by the Falcons, which tied the game at 65-all at the 9:07 mark. Four points by Guardado and a triple by Jeffcoat helped Norwich regain the lead at 72-69 with 7:19 to play, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Askew tied the score at 72-all moments later.

A pair of free throws by Davis gave NU a 74-72 advantage, but AMC responded with six unanswered points to take the lead for good. A three-point play by Jackson and a lay-up by Lora highlighted the spurt, which gave the Falcons a 78-74 lead with 4:06 to play. Norwich got to within one point (79-78) following a lay-up by Guardado, but Askew responded with a lay-up of his own at the other end, and the Cadets got no closer than three points the rest of the way. Albertus Magnus converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

The first half, which went back and forth throughout, featured seven ties and 13 lead changes. Norwich led by four points early in the stanza, and Albertus Magnus enjoyed a seven-point lead late in the frame. The Cadets ended the half on a 9-2 spurt to send the game into the intermission tied at 45-all.

Jeffcoat and Guardado paced the Cadets in the first half with 14 points apiece. Lora led Albertus Magnus with 13 points for the Falcons.

Norwich will continue its GNAC schedule on Thursday, Feb. 4, when they Cadets host Lasell College at 7 p.m. The Lasers upended the Cadets, 84-71, in the teams' first meeting of the season back in December.