NEW LONDON, Conn. - Four double-digit scorers, spurred by a career-high performance from Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.), powered the Norwich University men's basketball team past Mitchell College, 86-83, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Liss went 12-17 from the floor en route to pouring in 31 points, topping his career-high set earlier this season at Anna Maria College.  Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) finished 8-13 on field goals for 20 points, while Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) flirted with a double-double on 16 points and eight helpers.  Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.

With the win, the Cadets have clinched the fifth seed for next week's GNAC Tournament, and will travel to fourth-seeded Lasell University for a GNAC Quarterfinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 20, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Neither team could separate themselves throughout the first half, despite an early offensive burst from the Mariners that saw the hosts claim a six-point lead within the opening minutes.  The Cadets did well to quell any early momentum, evaporating Mitchell's lead on a 9-2 run while taking a one-point edge.

A quick spurt by the Mariners paced them back ahead, giving them a lead they relinquished only once throughout the half.  Murray knotted the game up on a trey late in the stanza, but Mitchell's Dontae Pollard answered on his own long-range bomb in the closing seconds.

The second half followed a similar theme, as Pollard netted another three-pointer out of the gates but the Mariners could only make that six-point lead their largest of the half.  The Cadets reclaimed the lead on a 12-5 run, with Liss scoring the final five points of that spurt.

Both teams exchanged baskets in a fiery offensive barrage over the final 20 minutes, as both squads again struggled to distance themselves.  Norwich finally took an insurmountable lead just past the nine-minute mark, keeping down any potential Mitchell rally, which saw the Mariners tie the tilt at 72-all with five and a half minutes left.

The Cadets held on in the closing seconds despite another Pollard three-pointer, which dwindled the lead down to two, as Olivero iced the game with a freebie and a steal on the ensuing Mitchell possession.

Inside play was critical for the Cadets, who maintained a 46-22 advantage in points in the paint.  Norwich generated 18 turnovers, leading to 13 points off those miscues.

Norwich carried a blistering 52.6% clip from the floor, including a 46.2% mark from long range.  The Cadets attempted a staggering 29 freebies.

The win sets up a rematch in the GNAC Quarterfinals from just a week ago against Lasell, when the Cadets cruised past the Lasers, 81-67, in Andrews Hall.  The two teams met in the GNAC Quarterfinals two years ago, with the Lasers securing a 69-57 win at the Lasell Athletic Center, in a tilt between the six- and three-seeds.  The winner of Tuesday's game will meet either #1 University of Saint Joseph, #8 Rivier University, or #9 Colby-Sawyer College on Thursday, Feb. 22.

More information on Tuesday's game, including links for live stats and video, as well as a preview, will be available over the coming days.