NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team stifled a late Rivier University run to capture a pivotal Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win, 78-72, over the Raiders in Andrews Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) led the offensive effort, pouring in a career-high 23 points off the bench, draining five treys while hauling down eight caroms.  Donovan Lewis Jr. (Savannah, Ga.) posted 16 points and snagged two steals, and Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) knocked down clutch shots to finish with 13 points.  Nabiyu Ndiaye (Barcelona, Spain) dished out a career-best eight helpers while also tallying eight points.

The Cadets wasted no time getting the offense to flow, as a pair of Lewis jumpers and a Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) bomb got Norwich off to a 7-0 start.  The Raiders attempted to recover, slicing the lead down to three before the Cadets swiftly extended their edge to double-digits.

Rivier again whittled Norwich's advantage back down to five in the closing minutes of the stanza, but a slew of three-straight three-pointers from DuBrul and an additional Tom Dooling (Boston, Mass.) trey helped push Norwich back ahead by double-figures, 44-34, at the break.

Norwich continued to find comfort out of the gates, building the game's largest lead of 15 just five minutes into the frame.  The Raiders, however, refused to go away, keeping the Cadets within striking distance, staying within single-digits on numerous occasions.

The Cadets appeared primed to coast to victory behind a 10-point lead at the five-minute mark, but an 11-2 run by Rivier after back-to-back jumpers from Pharaoh Davis and Nesta Roberts brought Norwich's lead down to one, 73-72.  Murray drilled the final dagger into the Raiders' comeback bid, pouring in a fade-away trey as the shot-clock expired with 29 seconds left to give Norwich some breathing room, until DuBrul iced the game with a pair of freebies in the waning seconds.

Norwich was automatic from long range, going 12-26 on three-pointers, including a 9-16 mark in the first half, while making 23 trips to the charity stripe.  The Cadets saw significant production off the bench, outscoring Rivier's bench, 38-11.

Roberts led Rivier with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Davis recorded 16 points.  Nikolas Pignone and Robenson Baguidy finished with 11 apiece.

The win puts the Cadets back in the playoff picture with the final spot in the GNAC's North Division, with the final month of regular season play right around the corner.  Norwich will close out the month of January on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with a 5:00 p.m. bout at Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass.  The Cadets will look to avenge a 78-74 setback to the Saints from earlier this season in Northfield.