Box Score 

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Walden St. Juste converted a driving lay-up with 3.3 seconds left to lift Albertus Magnus past Norwich, 69-68, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Andrews Hall.

Norwich (7-18, 5-13 GNAC) had a shot to win the game, but Antonio Davis' three-point attempt from the top of the key glanced off the rim as time expired. The Cadets were led by Mike Filipek and Jaren Jeffcoat, who each pumped in 18 points apiece. Robert Thurman added 13 points, while Joshua Cabrera chipped in nine.

Albertus Magnus (13-12, 9-9 GNAC) was led by Ray Askew, who scored a team-high 17 points and ripped down a game-high nine rebounds. Bobby Leonzo posted 12 points on four three-pointers, and Francisco Cordova added 11 points. St. Juste finished with 10 points, including the game-winning basket.

The Cadets led 68-64 with 2:03 to play, but the Falcons scored the final five points of the game to steal the victory.

Norwich held a 47-39 lead at the 14:07 mark in the second half, but a 12-3 run by Albertus Magnus gave the visitors a 51-50 lead at the 10:08 mark. The lead went back and forth over the next several minutes, with neither team able to move in front by more than three points until NU built its four-point lead in the waning minutes.

The game was tight throughout with a total of seven ties and 16 lead changes. A pair of three-pointers by Leonzo and a triple by St. Juste helped the Falcons open up a quick 9-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. Norwich bounced back with a 9-4 spurt to pull to within 13-11 at the 12:37 mark. Robert Thurman's thunderous slam dunk on the fast break capped the run, which put the Cadets right back in the game.

Albertus Magnus led 19-15 at the 8:38 mark of the first half, but a 16-7 run by Norwich gave the Cadets their largest lead of the opening stanza at 31-26 with just 2:15 to play before the intermission. The Falcons outscored the Cadets 6-3 over the final 2:15 to cut the NU lead down to 34-32 at the half

A pair of free throws by Cordova and a three-pointer by John Donahue helped Albertus Magnus grab a 37-36 lead less than two minutes into the second half. The Cadets responded by scoring nine straight points to establish a 45-37 lead at the 15:52 mark. The two teams traded baskets and Norwich led 47-39 before Albertus Magnus got back into the game with its 12-3 spurt.

Both teams shot relatively well from the field with Albertus Magnus converting 48.1 percent of its shots and Norwich hitting 45.8 percent of its field goals. The Falcons were 7-of-21 from three-point range, while the Cadets hit 6-of-18 from behind the arc. NU outrebounded AMC, 36-30. Neither squad shot particularly well from the free throw line with Norwich making just 8-of-15 charity tosses and Albertus Magnus connecting on only 10-of-16 from the line.

Prior to the game, Norwich honored its two seniors - Tim Fico and Filipek - in a special Senior Day ceremony involving the players' families.

Norwich will begin play in the GNAC Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when the eighth-seeded Cadets travel to Newton, Mass., to tangle with top-seeded Lasell at 7 p.m. The Lasers swept the season series from Norwich, defeating the Cadets by an average of 28.0 points per game in the two meetings.