NORTHFIELD, Vt.—The Norwich University men's basketball team dropped an 86-71 loss to the visiting Falcons of Albertus Magnus College on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

With the loss, the Cadets fall to 5-18 overall and 3-13 in league play, while the win boosts the league-leading Falcons to 21-2 overall and 15-1 against GNAC opponents.

Senior Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.) entered today's game with 999 career points, and hit his milestone basket, a three-point shot, with 6:13 to play. McDonald totaled 15 points for the Cadets on a 5-for-17 effort from the floor, including two three-pointers, and a three-for-four effort at the free-throw line. He also had a team-best seven rebounds.

Three other members of the squad scored in double-figures for the Cadets, led by junior Evan Tullar's (Chelsea, Vt.) team-leading 21 points. Senior Nickolai Havoutis (Coral Glades, Fla.) and sophomore Gary Gladden (Boynton Beach, Fla.) both netted 10 points each.

Junior Victor Ljuljdjuraj (Bronx, N.Y.) led Albertus Magnus with a game-high 26 points. He completed the double-double by adding 14 rebounds, seven of which he tallied on the Falcons' offensive end. Junior Eian Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 19 points and a game-high seven assists, while sophomore James Jennings (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points.

Albertus Magnus controlled the game from the opening tip and scored seven straight points before Norwich got on the board at the 16:13 mark following a Havoutis layup. The Falcons continued to build their lead and opened a 15-point margin, 24-9, at 9:11 following a pair of free-throws by Davis.

The Cadets would not give up, and sparked a 15-6 run to come within four points, 30-26, with 2:50 left to play. From there, the Falcons would score nine straight points to open up a double-digit gap and would take a 28-42 lead into halftime.

Albertus Magnus maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half, until the Cadets cut the lead to eight points following a pair of free-throws by Havoutis with 3:37 to play. It would prove mark the biggest scare of the half as the Falcons would make a final run to seal the 6-71 win.

Norwich connected on 39.4 percent of their shots from the floor over the course of the game (26-66). Albertus Mangus hit 31-65 field goal shots to total a 47.7 percent effort.

Albertus scored 52 of their 82 points in the paint, while Norwich netted 30 points in the paint. Norwich bested the Falcons in points scored off turnovers (13-8) and bench points (42-18), but the Falcons held advantages in second-chance points (22-11) and fast-break points (18-4).

Prior to tip-off, the Cadets recognized seniors McDonald, Havoutis, Dennis Brooks (Bennington, Vt.), Rich Anderson (Mansfield, Mass.), Hunter Fifield (Warner, N.H.), and Brendan Tallon (Norfolk, Conn.).

The Cadets will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 18 for an important matchup at Mount Ida College. A win against the Mustangs will put the Cadets in contention for the eighth seed in the GNAC postseason.