NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team continued its ascent to a top-four spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings, closing off the penultimate week of the regular season with a seismic 81-67 victory over Lasell University on Saturday afternoon in Andrews Hall.

Five different Cadets netted double-digits, spearheaded by Omarion Jett's (Montclair, N.J.) 25-point output, which included a perfect 3-3 showing from long range and a 10-12 clip from the charity stripe.  Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) and Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) combined for an 11-21 clip from the floor to finish with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) and Rodrick Pearson (Hartford, Conn.) added 10 apiece to round out the double-figure scorers.

The Lasers controlled all momentum to open the contest, striking first on a pair of freebies before knocking down back-to-back long-range shots to take an 8-0 lead.  Norwich promptly responded, spurred by DuBrul, who initiated a 13-0 spurt, complete with three-pointers from DuBrul, Jett, and Murray.

Lasell kept close but could never overcome Norwich's offensive onslaught throughout the first half, which resulted in 37 points and was capped off by Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) finding a driving Pearson through the lane, who skied through for an emphatic slam.  Both squads kept each other scoreless for the final three and a half minutes, as the Cadets enjoyed a six-point lead at the break.

Camero Foster-Martez brought Lasell within three out of the gates, but the Cadets again answered, gradually building a lead that ballooned to 11 on five-straight points from Charles Nogard (Oviedo, Fla.) and Pearson.  Despite the visitors whittling the lead down to four on their own 5-0 run, the Cadets upped their defensive pressure, holding Lasell scoreless for five minutes while extending their lead to 13.

A slew of free throws down the stretch sealed the deal, as the Cadets took their largest lead of 16 during a sequence where the hosts knocked down 10 freebies in the closing two minutes.

The Cadets held advantages in points in the paint (36-26) and fast break points (19-16), while maintaining blistering shooting clips of 51.9% (FGs), 45.0% (3PTs), and 80.0% (FTs).  Norwich held a 43-29 lead in rebounds, while logging a staggering seven blocks.

Norwich will head into the final week of the regular season winners of four-straight, setting up another pivotal GNAC showdown on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when the Cadets host Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 7:00 p.m.  The Cadets will then close the regular season at Mitchell College on Saturday, Feb. 17, ahead of the following week's GNAC Tournament.