NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team ended their pre-Thanksgiving schedule with another resounding triumph, grazing past Vermont State University Johnson, 85-66, in a non-conference tilt in Andrews Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers struck first and early on a Raymond Baka jumper, but the Cadets wasted no time responding, as Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) drilled back-to-back baskets before Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) rang up two-straight treys to ignite the Norwich offense.  Domination proceeded to flow from the outside to the inside, as Rodrick Pearson (Hartford, Conn.) logged an and-one followed by a jumper in the paint, keeping Norwich afloat despite Johnson's rallies.

Freebies from Chris Hough (Bloomfield, Conn.) brought Norwich ahead by double-digits less than halfway through the opening stanza, where the Cadets would remain for a few minutes until VTSU Johnson rallied to dwindle the lead back down to five.  Tom Dooling (Boston, Mass.) promptly answered, sniping a long-shot to spur a 9-2 run to strengthen Norwich's momentum.

The Badgers again flirted with a comeback to open the second half, but the Cadets again rose to the challenge, as a string of baskets from Hough, Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.), and Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) granted Norwich the largest lead of the game on a pair of occasions at 25.  The Cadets sealed the deal in the closing minutes, despite some back-and-forth play between both teams, with jumpers from Noah Fox (Swedesboro, N.J.) and Quinn Twombly (Glastonbury, Conn.) rounding out the effort.

Four Cadets logged double-figures, spearheaded by Murray's 17-point performance.  Liss added 15 points in 17 minutes off the bench, while DuBrul nailed three treys en route to 13 points  Olivero chipped in 11 points while dishing out a game-best four helpers.

Norwich carried a 20-6 lead in fast break points alongside a 17-11 advantage in points off turnovers.  Bench play was pivotal to the Cadets' win, with Norwich owning a 43-27 lead in that category.

The Cadets will return to the hardwood after Thanksgiving break on Tuesday, Nov. 28, taking on fellow intrastate rival Vermont State University Lyndon in the first game of an evening doubleheader in Andrews Hall.  Norwich will then host the 2023 Ed Hockenbury Classic to kick off December, first hosting the University of Maine at Fort Kent on Dec. 2, while Framingham State University and Trinity College will battle in the nightcap of a four-game Saturday which includes both women's and men's competition.