BARRE, Vt. - Despite a valiant late effort by Vermont Technical College, the Norwich University men's basketball escaped the Barre Auditorium victorious over the Knights, 63-55, on the opening day of the 2022 Barre Granite Association College Classic.

The Cadets were led by four double-digit scorers, with Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) pacing the offense with 12 points.  Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) logged an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) and Nick Graves (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) added 10 points apiece.

The Knights claimed an early 4-2 lead after back-to-back baskets in the span of 18 seconds, before a pair of layups from Olivero and Liss gave Norwich a lead it would never relinquish.  Graves would push the Cadets' edge to double-digits halfway through the opening stanza, while a slam by Liss at the five-minute mark would give Norwich a 20-point advantage.

Vermont Tech's efforts to whittle Norwich's lead down began at that point, as a split at the charity stripe from BJ Jenkins would send Norwich to the locker room with a 38-27 lead.  A quick 7-0 run out of the gates would bring the lead down to four.

Despite Norwich pushing the lead back to double-digits at 48-38, a 13-6 run by the Knights would bring VTC back to within three.  Graves quickly halted any of the Knights' momentum, however, drilling a trey in the closing minute to give the Cadets at least a two-possession lead the rest of the way.

The Cadets largely found success inside, where they held a 24-12 edge in points in the paint.  Points off turnovers were a narrow 12-8 advantage for Norwich, while VTC maintained an 11-6 lead in second chance points.

Norwich will look to extend their winning streak to three ahead of Thanksgiving Break, taking on Castleton University tomorrow evening at the Barre Auditorium.  The 6:00 p.m. tilt will serve as the closer for the 2022 Barre Granite Association College Classic.