LYNDONVILLE, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team blew an 11-point halftime lead suffering an 87-82 non-conference loss to NVU-Lyndon in Stannard Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.  The win gave the Hornets a sweep of the weekend pair of games against the Cadets.

The game got off to a sluggish start, as neither team could get anything going on their first couple of possessions.  Norwich finally got on the board first when senior Kyle Booth (Northfield, Vt.) found junior Donovan Lewis Jr. (Savannah, Ga.) inside for a layup, almost two minutes into the contest.  The Hornets would not find their first points until Peyton Olsen connected on a pair of free throws more than three minutes into the game.

After senior Jesse Davis (Woodinville, Wash.) put Norwich back in front, Kenan Hajdarevic kicked to an open Olsen who knocked down a three-pointer to give Lyndon its first lead.  The two teams exchanged the lead several times over the next several minutes until Luke Fredsell drove and scored giving the Hornets an 18-15 lead with 10:42 remaining in the opening half.

At that point, the Norwich defense stepped up holding the Hornets scoreless over six minutes.  The Cadets' offense meanwhile rattled off 12 unanswered points, capped by a pair of free throws and a pull-up jumper from junior Tayjaun McKenzie (Boston, Mass.), to move in front, 27-18. Booth and McKenzie combined for 10 of the 12 points during the run.

Olsen finally ended the Hornets' scoreless drought with a pair of free throws, but a putback basket from junior Spencer Conatser (Reno, Nev.) and another score by McKenzie extended the Norwich lead into double digits at 31-20 with 3:27 to play.  The Cadets maintained that 11-point lead into intermission when McKenzie drained a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Norwich was able to keep the Hornets at bay in the opening minutes of the second half, and when Lewis Jr. scored inside Norwich had its biggest lead, 63-49, with 10:45 remaining.

Following a Hornet timeout, Lyndon began to climb back in it.  Antonio Carlisle found Olsen for a three-pointer to key the rally.  Then after McKenzie made one of two free throws, Carlisle knocked down a three of his own to cut the Norwich lead to single digits.  After the teams traded scores, Norwich still held an 11-point advantage with 8:30 to go.

Lyndon's Tyrese Harris was fouled on the Hornets' next possession and converted both shots.  Lyndon then forced two consecutive turnovers and scored both times, an Olsen layup and a Zach Falkenburg three-pointer, and suddenly the Norwich lead was down to 68-64 with 7:01 to go.

Following a Cadet timeout, the Hornets forced another Norwich turnover and Harris found Olsen for a layup to cut the lead back to two.  After a Lewis Jr. layup, Olsen connected from long range and the Norwich lead was 70-69 with 6 minutes remaining.

The two teams then traded several scores before Lyndon freshman Mondwell Bukle knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Hornets even at 76-76 with 3:28 left.  McKenzie scored inside on the next Norwich possession, then Norwich's freshman Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass) was fouled following a Hornet turnover.  Olivero converted one of two free throws to make it a three-point game.

Falkenburg was fouled on Lyndon's next trip down the floor and made one of two shots.  Lyndon then forced another Norwich turnover and Carlisle knocked down an open shot to give Lyndon its first lead since the early going.  After a defensive stop, Olsen hit another from long range and Lyndon was up by four, 83-79, with just over a minute to go.

Junior Caleb Casinas (Aiea, Hawaii) was fouled going to the basket on the next possession and made both free throws, cutting the Lyndon lead to 83-81 with 50 seconds to go.  Then, with the shot clock running down, Bukle connected on a huge three-pointer to put the Hornets up by five with just 23 seconds to go.  The Cadets desperately tried for a last-minute offensive onslaught, but the Hornets would hold on for the 87-82 win.

Olsen led Lyndon with 25 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.  Falkenburg added 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  Carlisle and Neal Mulligan also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Five Cadets registered double-digit points as Davis paced the Cadets with 17 points.  McKenzie added 16, and Booth posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Olivero added 13 points while Lewis Jr. chipped in with 10.

Norwich will engage in another home-and-home series next weekend when the Cadets take on Clarkson with the opening game taking place at Clarkson on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. and the Cadets hosting on Sunday at 3 p.m.