NORTHFIELD, Vt. - It was a night of history in Andrews Gymnasium tonight, as Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) and Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) became the newest entrants in the Norwich University men's basketball 1,000-point club, securing their place in history as the Cadets routed Elmira College, 88-71, in the opening game of the 2024 Ed Hockenbury Classic on Saturday night.

Liss led all scorers, stringing together an all-around impressive performance of 32 points on 14 made shots to go with nine rebounds, five blocks, five assists, and two steals.  Olivero netted four three-pointers, finishing with 21 points and a game-best seven helpers.  Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) rounded out the double-digit scorers, contributing 12 points in the win.

Both teams exchanged leads to start as Tyler Cardello gave the Soaring Eagles the first points of the contest before Murray immediately responded with Norwich's first three-pointer of the night.  After JJ Babcock put Elmira ahead again, an ensuing scoreless minute between the two squads was broken after Olivero, who entered the night with 997 points, drained a wing trey to become the 28th 1,000-point scorer in Norwich men's basketball history, putting his Cadets ahead in the process.

The Cadets maintained a lead while negating a handful of deadlocks throughout the next seven minutes.  The Soaring Eagles reclaimed the lead halfway through the stanza before Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.) gave Norwich the lead for good.

Despite Elmira keeping it close, the Cadets found a way to seize momentum at necessary stretches.  The most critical moment came with three and a half minutes remaining, as Liss converted on a put-back opportunity to secure his place as the 29th 1,000-point scorer in the history of the program, spearheading a 14-5 run to end the half and head into halftime with an 11-point lead.

The Soaring Eagles whittled Norwich's lead to single digits on a handful of occasions in the final 20 minutes, but the Cadets responded each time, including on a pair of emphatic dunks from Liss and Noah Hutchinson (Montclair, N.J.).  Elmira, at one point, trimmed the edge down to nine, but Norwich swiftly blew it open to 18 in just a minute and a half.

The Cadets proceeded to build their largest lead of 21 on three occasions, eventually running away with the 17-point victory.

Cardello led the Soaring Eagles offensively, tallying 21 points.

Norwich enjoyed significant leads in a few categories, including in points off turnovers (19-16), points in the paint (50-30), and fast break points (25-15).  The Cadet offense was blistering, owning a 53.6% clip on field goals and a 40.9% mark from long range, while Norwich's defense generated 20 Elmira turnovers.

Sunday, Dec. 8, will see Elmira return to Andrews Gym to take on Bryant & Stratton College (Albany) at 1:00 p.m. in a neutral clash.  The Cadets will then take the court on Monday, Dec. 9, concluding the 2024 Ed Hockenbury Classic with a 1:00 p.m. bout against the Bobcats.