NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Sophomore guard Zygimantas Sirvydas (Silale, Lithuania) scored a career game-high 22 points but it was not enough as the Norwich University men's basketball team came up short to Albertus Magnus College, 65-63, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener.

With their third straight setback, the Cadets fall to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Falcons improve to 3-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference tilts.

Sirvydas shot 4-of-10 from the field and 13-of-14 from the stripe, while classmate Ryan Booth (Northfield, Vt.) posted 15 points and nine rebounds on the night. Sophomore forward Mike Hogervorst (Leiden, Netherlands) contributed 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds with five blocks for a double-double.

For Albertus Magnus, Shontaey Lovell recorded a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while Jaqhawn Walters added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists on the night. Five players came off the bench and scored at least two points as the bench scored a combined for 25 points on the night.

The back-and-forth game saw the visitors erase a 10-point deficit with three minutes left in regulation. After a Shontaey Lovell  free throw gave the Falcons a 63-53 lead, the Cadets would score the next 11 points to take the wind out of the gym and a one-point lead with 16 seconds remaining. Over the final four minutes of play, the opportunistic Norwich defense held the Falcons without a field goal. Trailing by one, Norwich took the lead for the first time in the second half courtesy of three-pointer from sophomore guard Ryan Booth with time winding down.

On the ensuing possession, Cadet freshman forward Chibuzor Ogbue (Framingham, Mass.) was whistled for a foul in the post and Albertus sophomore Jaqhawn Walters made the guests pay. Walters knocked down the first to tie the game and jarred the second with 11 ticks left on the clock to give the hosts a one-point edge at 65-64.

With no timeouts left, Norwich quickly inbounded the ball and raced up court. Dribbling around a screen just outside the three-point line, Sirvydas had the ball stolen by Lovell as the Falcons escaped with the victory.

Norwich came out of the gates charging, jumping out to an early 11-0 lead over the first six minutes of action. Albertus Magnus had trouble settling into a groove and missed their first 11 shots from the field. Over the first 10 minutes of action, the Falcons connected on just 1-of-18 shots as the Cadets built an early, 15-3, edge.

Long-range shooting and pressure defense brought the hosts back into the game with a trey from sophomore guard Chaunce Dunbar bringing the Falcons to within five at 21-16 with a little over five minutes remaining in the first half. The reigning GNAC Champions closed the first stanza on an 11-7 spurt to trail by just one at the break. Down by three with time winding down, Albertus senior wing Marc Wilson slashed to the basket and buried a runner to beat the buzzer.

The victory marked the 59th consecutive for Albertus Magnus on its home floor, which is the best active streak at any level in the NCAA.

Norwich outshot the Falcons 42.6 percent from the floor to Albertus Magnus' 35.7 percent. However, the Falcons managed to score 27 points off of the Cadets' 20 turnovers on the night, 15 points from fastbreaks.

Norwich returns to action after the Thanksgiving holiday with a road conference clash against Anna Maria on Tuesday, December 1, at 7:00 pm.  

Portion of the story courtesy of Albertus Magnus Sports Information