NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team nearly rallied from a double-digit deficit, falling just short in a 78-74 loss to Emmanuel College on Saturday afternoon in Andrews Hall in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.

Five different Cadets tallied double-figures, with Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) drilling four bombs to lead the way on 16 points off the bench.  Donovan Lewis Jr. (Savannah, Ga.), Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.), and Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) posted 14, 13, and 12 points respectively, while Tom Dooling (Boston, Mass.) was a perfect 5-5 from the hardwood to finish with 11 points.

After Murray put Norwich on the board first, the Saints' offense began to roll behind an 11-0 run to take an 11-2 lead.  Norwich swiftly recovered on a 12-2 run to reclaim the early advantage, before Emmanuel gradually grew a double-digit lead over the ensuing five minutes.  A Liss trey with a minute remaining put the Cadets back within single-figures, 37-29, at the break.

The Saints succeeded in keeping Norwich at bay for a majority of the second stanza, holding onto an 11-point lead nearly halfway through the frame.  Norwich's offense again erupted for another run, this time a 10-2 charge capped off by another Liss basket that cut Emmanuel's edge to three.

Despite two more occasions over the final seven minutes where Norwich trickled the lead back down to three, the Saints' defense held strong, preventing the Cadets from getting over the hump en route to scooping up a 78-74 win in Northfield.

Norwich shot a blistering 56.4% from the floor and held a 38-32 advantage in points in the paint, but a 17-7 differential in points off turnovers and a 9-2 mark in second chance points, both in favor of Emmanuel, proved to be critical.

The Cadets will look to rebound on Wednesday, hosting GNAC foe Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the closing game of an evening doubleheader.  Tip-off in Andrews Hall is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.