NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team is off to their best start over 12 games since the 2005-06 season, capturing their 10th victory of the year after an electrifying 75-70 victory over Anna Maria College in Norwich's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener in Andrews Gymnasium on Tuesday afternoon.

Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) provided another dominant performance, posting a 26-point and 13-rebound double-double to go with three steals and two blocks to pace all players offensively.  Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) went 7-15 from the floor to tally 16 points, while Sharif Sharif (Burlington, Vt.) knocked down a pair of treys to finish with 12 points, rounding out Norwich's double-digit scorers.

Anna Maria tipped off what was initially an offensive struggle, claiming the first points on a Ray Carter Jr. layup.  Carter Jr. proved to be the catalyst for early success for the AMCATS, rattling off the game's first five points before Murray put Norwich on the board.  Back-to-back baskets by Sharif, paired with Murray's points, generated an impeccable 41-10 run for the Cadets.

Norwich closed the surge behind four-straight points from Chris Hough (Bloomfield, Conn.) and a layup by Murray, handing the hosts their largest lead of the contest at 26, 41-15.  Carter Jr. closed the opening stanza with a three-pointer, capping off a frame where he tallied 13 of Anna Maria's 18 first-half points.

The Cadets continued firing out of the gates, keeping Anna Maria at bay despite constant challenges from the visitors.  While the AMCATS whittled Norwich's lead back down under 20, Murray catapulted the Cadets back over the hump on a trey, before subsequent baskets from Hough and Liss kept Norwich ahead by similar leads.

Intensity arose in the closing minutes, as the AMCATS gradually erased Norwich's dominant lead down to 10 on a Jayden Dickerson three-pointer with 2:20 left.  Ensuing freebies by Anna Maria and turnovers by the Cadets allowed the visitors to bring Norwich's lead down to as low as three with 16 seconds remaining, but free throws down the stretch by Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.) and Sharif proved to be the difference-maker, icing Norwich's five-point victory.

Norwich was dominant inside, carrying a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, including a 22-2 margin in the first half.  The Cadets thrived offensively, as well, maintaining a 47.2% shooting clip while attempting 28 shots from the foul line.

The Cadet defense, meanwhile, restricted Anna Maria to just 32.4% from the floor, including a woeful 14.71% during the opening 20 minutes of action.

Entering the halfway mark of the season, the Cadets' 10-2 record marks the best start to a Norwich men's basketball campaign since the 2005-06 season.  After dropping their first two games of the season to St. Edward's University and Texas Lutheran University, the Cadets rallied to win their next 12 games before falling at Emmanuel College on Jan. 21, 2006.  Norwich went on to win the GNAC Championship for the second-straight season, defeating Emerson College before topping Elms College in the 2006 NCAA Div. III Men's Basketball Tournament.  The Cadets were defeated by St. John Fisher College in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, finishing the year 21-8 overall.

The win marks the third straight for Norwich over Anna Maria, dating back to the 2022-23 season, when the Cadets cruised past the AMCATS, 74-52, on Feb. 18, 2023.  Norwich was victorious over Anna Maria last season, 74-70, in Paxton, Mass., on Dec. 9, 2023.

The Cadets will look ahead to a rematch of last year's GNAC Semifinals, traveling to the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Saturday, Jan. 11, for a 3:00 p.m. duel.  Last season, Norwich became the only GNAC team to battle the Blue Jays within single digits, doing so twice in the regular season (71-68) and in the GNAC Tournament (69-60) before the University of Saint Joseph captured the GNAC Championship.