NORTHFIELD, Vt.—Senior Josh Cabrera (Providence, R.I.) of the Norwich University men's basketball team scored a season-high 28 points, but it would not be enough as the Cadets fell 75-64 to the Monks of St. Joseph's College (ME) on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Andrews Hall.

With the loss, the Cadets fall to 3-7 overall and 0-3 in GNAC play, while the win boosts the visiting Monks to 7-3 and 3-1 in league action.

Cabrera connected for 18 of his 28 points in the first half.  The senior guard shot 10-19 from field goal range, 4-8 from behind the arc and 4-4 from the free-throw line.

The lead would change hands twice and the score would knot three times in the first half.  The Monks led by as many as six points in the opening minutes of the game, before the Cadets answered with six-straight points to even the score at 12-12.  A three-point basket by Cabrera would give the Cadets a four-point lead with 12:55 to play, but St. Joseph's answered with six-straight to reclaim the lead at 20-18.

The Monks would extend their first-half lead to nine with 1:10 left to play and would see Norwich's Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.) hit a three-point basket and a free-throw on the next trip cut the lead to five. 

Saint Joseph's Matthew Medeiros connected on a three-pointer with one second left on the clock to extend the Monks' lead to 39-31 entering halftime.

The Monks would not relinquish the lead in the second half and led by as much as 15 late in the half.  With 11:39 left to play in the game the Cadets cut the lead to five on a jumper by Nickolai Havoutis (Coral Springs, Fla.), but Monks wasted no time building the lead to 64-49 with 4:53 to play.

A pair of free-throws by Evan Tullar (Chelsea, Vt.) with 2:25 remaining would help cut the Monks' lead back to single-digits, but Norwich was forced to foul to gain possession in the final minutes of the game which allowed St. Joseph's to clinch the 75-64 final.

In addition to Cabrera, the Cadets were led by Havoutis with 14 points and Tullar with 11 points.  Both Havoutis and Tullar led the team on the boards with five rebounds apiece. The Cadets shot 40.4 percent from the floor and connected on seven of 23 three-point attempts.

The Monks saw three players score in double-digits, as Medeiros and Nicholas Jobin both chipped in with 21 points and Steve Simonds added 17.  Jobin led the team in rebounding with seven, while Julio Vasquez dished out a game-high six assists.  The Monks shot 49.1 percent from the floor and also connected on seven three-pointers throughout the game.

Norwich will be back in action on Tuesday, when it hosts Emerson College in a 7:00 p.m. GNAC matchup.  St. Joseph's will also be in action on Tuesday as they host Albertus Magnus at 7:00 p.m.