NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University basketball team moved to 2-0 on the season Friday night in Andrews Hall, defeating the NVU Johnson, 70-65.

The Cadets registered 17 assists as a team on their 25 made shots from the field.  Samuel-Noah Osarenkhoe (Stockholm, Sweden) scored 15 points in the game while Kyle Booth (Northfield, Vt.) and Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) scored 13 and 11 points respectively.

Malik Moore and Romelle Watt lead the Badgers in scoring with Moore scoring 20 points and Watt registering 18 points.

Norwich came out of the gates with a hot start, scoring 17 points in the opening 5:13 of the game while holding NVU Johnson to only two points.  After the Badgers battled back to within eight. Jaydon Cousin (Savannah, Ga.) hit a three-pointer after Olivero found him with a pass. Norwich held a 38-26 lead going into the halftime break.

In the second half the Badgers outscored Norwich 18-9, bringing the game to within three.

Norwich then used a 18-4 run over a span of 3:44 to hold a 64-48 lead with nine minutes remaining.

The Badgers again took advantage of opportunities at the free throw line, going 12-18 in the game, to battle back within eight. Norwich was able to hold on to the lead only allowing five points in the final two minutes of the contest.

The Cadets did not trail during the contest, holding a lead from the 19:22 mark in the first quarter going forward.

Norwich (2-0, 0-0 GNAC) will travel to Cambridge, Mass. to take on Lesley on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. tilt. They will then participate in the Granite City Shootout in Barre, Vt. opening their weekend with a 1 p.m. game against Vermont Tech.