BOSTON, Mass.—The Norwich University men's basketball team overcame a six-point halftime deficit to down the Saints of Emmanuel College 81-76 on Sunday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

With the win, the Cadets improve to 3-9 overall and 1-4 in GNAC play, while the Saints fall to 2-10 overall and 0-6 against league opponents.

Sophomore guard Gary Gladden (Boynton Beach, Fla.) was Norwich's leading scorer for the second straight game, as he totaled 27 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor and a perfect 10-10 performance from the line. Senior Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.) added 23 points, while Nickolai Havoutis (Coral Glades, Fla.) chipped in with 21.

Emmanuel never trailed in first half, jumping ahead to a 41-35 lead heading into halftime. The Saints led by as many as 11 in the first half and got a huge lift from bench players, who totaled 17 points in the frame. Emmanuel shot 60.0% from the floor (18-30) and saw ten players register field goals.

The Saints remained in control early on in the second half, matching their largest lead of the game following a layup from freshman swingman James Sullivan (Wethersfield, Conn.) to make it 52-41 with 13:44 remaining. Over the next minute of action, the Cadets responded with a 7-0 run to get back within striking distance, 52-48, as a layup by sophomore guard Gladden made it a two possession game.

Following a Sullivan free throw, the Cadets continued to gain ground as seniors Havoutis and Gladden converted layups to bring the Cadets within one, 53-52, with 11:20 still to play.  

Emmanuel senior guard Brandon Jones connected on a pair from the charity stripe to bump the lead to 55-52 before Norwich's freshman guard Grant Brown (Whitinsville, Mass.) buried a game-tying three pointer with 10:45 on the clock to even the score at 55-55.

The squads would trade hoops on the following few possessions with ties at the 57-57 and 59-59 marks before McDonald hit a go-ahead three with 8:10 left to put the Cadets on top for good.

NU led by as many as nine points (74-65) following a pair of free throws from Havoutis with under two minutes remaining, but the Saints were able to make it a two possession game following some free throws from senior guard Alex Myers with 43 tics left to pull the hosts to within four at 72-76.

Norwich was able to seal the game at the line, connection on its final five free throws to lock in the 81-76 GNAC road victory.

The Cadets shot 58.5 percent from the floor throughout the contest (24-41) and hit 52.9 percent of three-point attempts (9-17). The Saints hit 51.7 percent of field goal attempts (31-60) and hit just five of 18 three-point attempts (27.8 percent).

Senior guard Josh Welles led the Saints with 17 points while sophomore forward John Clay put up a solid 12 point/seven rebound performance. Sullivan added 10 points off the bench.

The Cadets held an advantage in points off turnovers (21-15), while Emmanuel dominated in second-chance points (16-5) and held a narrow edge in points scored in the paint (30-26).

Norwich returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 15 when it hosts Suffolk University in a 7:00 p.m. GNAC tilt.