RANDOLPH, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team stepped back into action from Thanksgiving break and scooped up their fifth-straight victory to open the season, overcoming a halftime deficit behind a rampant second-half storm to take down Vermont State University Randolph, 96-65, at SHAPE GYM in a non-conference clash on Tuesday evening.

The Cadets were paced by a quadruplet of double-digit scorers, with Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) recording a career-high 32 points on an 11-15 clip from the floor and perfect 9-9 mark on freebies to lead the Cadets offensively.  Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) and Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) knocked down three treys apiece, as Murray racked up 23 points on 8-11 shooting while Olivero logged 17 points, eight boards, and five assists.  Sharif Sharif (Burlington, Vt.) rounded out the Cadets in double-figures, adding 10 off the bench.

After exchanging baskets throughout the opening four minutes, the Knights assumed control, rallying for 11-straight points to take a pair of 10-point leads.  Back-to-back layups from Donato Pakak (Sarasota, Fla.), followed by a trey from Sharif, ignited some offensive rhythm for the Cadets, as a personal 5-0 spurt from Olivero brought the Cadets back within three halfway through the opening frame.  VTSU Randolph held firm, however, despite Norwich trimming the lead down to one on three different occasions, including on a pair of layups from Liss before the break.

Norwich struck first out of halftime, courtesy of Mohammed Kanneh (South Burlington, Vt.), to claim a lead that would never be relinquished.  Liss proved to be the catalyst for the Cadets in separating themselves from the Knights, as the senior enjoyed a personal 11-4 run to extend the visitors' lead to double-digits.

Buckets from Sharif and Olivero at the midway point pushed the Cadets beyond the 20-point-lead threshold, before Liss, just five minutes later, brought Norwich's lead up to 30.  The Knights had no answer for the Cadets' offensive onslaught, with Norwich enjoying a 65.5% shooting clip throughout the second half, which included a 6-11 mark from beyond the arc to go with a 13-17 tally from the charity stripe.

For the game, Norwich finished with a 61.8% shooting percentage while going 19-23 on freebies.  The Cadet defense limited VTSU Randolph from outside, as the Knights were just 5-25 on three-pointers while attempting just six free-throws.  The Cadets dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Knights, 38-22.

With tonight's contest, Liss, Murray, and Olivero continue their ascent up the record books, as all three now sit within 70 points of crossing the highly-coveted 1,000-point plateau.  Olivero and Liss sit three and nine points away, respectively, from joining the club, while Murray is 68 points shy of the mark.

The Cadets will take to the court on Saturday, Dec. 7, kicking off the men's portion of the 2024 Ed Hockenbury Classic with a 7:00 p.m. meeting against Elmira College.  Sunday, Dec. 8, will see Elmira take on visiting Bryant & Stratton College (Albany) at 1:00 p.m. in Andrews Gym, before the Cadets battle Bryant & Stratton on Monday, Dec. 9.