BARRE, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team nearly led wire-to-wire, despite a strong second half from Castleton University, to complete an undefeated weekend at the 2022 Barre Granite Association College Classic with a 65-54 win over the Spartans in non-conference action at the Barre Auditorium on Saturday evening.

Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) continued his strong sophomore campaign, pacing Norwich offensively with 16 points on a 50.0% clip.  Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) followed right behind with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Rodrick Pearson (Hartford, Conn.) was a perfect 4-4 from the floor to finish with eight points in 11 minutes of action off the bench.

Norwich broke free from five lead changes and a 10-9 Castleton lead about six minutes into the first half, embarking on a staggering 20-0 run that gradually turned into a 27-point edge after a pair of freebies from Tom Dooling (Boston, Mass.) gave the Cadets a 41-14 advantage.  The Spartans found a brief light of momentum on a Joe Russell jumper right before the buzzer, which began Castleton's gradual comeback in the second half.

After Nabiyu Ndiaye (Barcelona, Spain) pushed Norwich's lead back to 24 on the opening possession of the second stanza, Castleton's offense came alive on a 16-0 run, cutting Norwich's lead down to eight.  The Cadets would respond with a 8-0 spurt of their own, capped off on back-to-back layups from Liss.  Back-to-back baskets from Olivero and Pearson in the span of 10 seconds would grant Norwich an 18-point cushion.

Despite valiant efforts by Castleton to trim Norwich's edge back down to eight on two occasions, strong post play and ensuing layups from Liss and Donovan Lewis Jr. (Savannah, Ga.) would seal the deal for the Cadets, avenging a loss to the Spartans in last season's Classic at the Barre Auditorium.

Norwich and Castleton were virtually equal in a handful of categories, but the Cadets did hold slight edges in points off turnovers (19-14) and points in the paint (32-28).  Norwich maintained a 44.6% clip from the floor, while holding the Spartans to a woeful 36.8% mark.

Castleton's Russell led all scorers in the contest, pouring in 26 points on 11-17 shooting.

"The kids really defended.  I think we're really becoming a good defensive team across the board.  We obviously had a big first half offensively, but given our young team, we anticipated a run by them, and we weathered the storm," Head Coach Paul Booth said.  "Little by little, we're growing up each day.  I'm proud of the kids.  I'm glad they get to go to Thanksgiving with a win under the belt.  We got to get back at it on Saturday night and start practice."

The Cadets will head into the break and prep for their third-straight intrastate rival, traveling to Northern Vermont University-Lyndon on Tuesday, Nov. 29, for a 5:00 p.m. tilt in Lyndonville, Vt.  Norwich will then return home for the 2022 Ed Hockenbury Classic, hosting New England College on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6:00 p.m., followed by Bridgewater State and the University of Maine at Fort Kent battling at 8:00 p.m.