NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team secured one of their biggest wins of the 2023-24 season in dominant fashion, handing Rivier University their first loss of the season in the Cadets' 79-62 win in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at Andrews Hall on Wednesday evening.

Five Cadets tallied double-digits, spearheaded by a 23-point performance from Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.), who finished 10-14 from the floor.  Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) and Omarion Jett (Montclair, N.J.) added 12 points each while going a combined 5-5 from long range.  Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) and Rodrick Pearson (Hartford, Conn.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively, while contributing in other ways as Olivero dished out a game-high six assists, while Pearson set game-bests in rebounds and blocks with nine and six, respectively.

Rivier controlled the tone early, striking first on an O'Darius Cade triple just a minute in en route to corralling a three-point edge on five different occasions over the opening eight minutes.  The Cadets finally found their footing shortly after, knotting the game up on an and-one from Liss and eventually rolling out to a double-digit advantage after Jett found Pearson for an emphatic slam.  Jett kept Norwich ahead by 10 in the waning minutes, but the Raiders found some momentum in the closing stretch, as Cade brought the visitors to within five on a trey just before the halftime buzzer.

A similar stretch ensued to open the second half, as Norwich again stretched the lead back to 10 before Rivier again dwindled it down to four.  Joseph Melvin kept the Raiders within eight at the 13:18 mark, but it would be the last time Rivier would remain within single-digits, as the Norwich offense exploded, outscoring the Raiders, 35-21, en route to capturing the largest lead of 22 on a Jett triple with 2:46 left.

The Raiders attempted to keep it interesting, whittling the lead down to 13 on three-straight long-range shots, but time ran short on their comeback chances as Liss and Olivero iced the game in the final minute to secure the 17-point victory.

Norwich held firm in a handful of categories, with significant advantages in points in the paint (50-18), fast break points (20-5), and bench points (23-8).  The Cadets' offensive onslaught was virtually unstoppable, as the hosts maintained a 56.9% (33-58) clip from the floor and a blistering 63.6% (7-11) mark from beyond the arc, while going 6-6 from the charity stripe.

The Cadets will hit the road for two-in-a-row, traveling to Boston, Mass., for a clash with Emmanuel College on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 1:00 p.m.  They will follow that up on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with an evening bout at Regis College.