NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team battled wire-to-wire in its first road test of the season, but a late surge by Plattsburgh State University proved the difference as the Cadets fell, 67-60, in a tightly contested non-conference matchup on Tuesday night at Memorial Hall Gymnasium.
Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) continued his strong start to the season with a game-high 21 points on 9-18 shooting, while adding five rebounds, two steals, and a block in 36 minutes of action.Â
Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) posted a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards, while
Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.) added nine points in another steady effort.
After a quick 7-0 burst by the Cardinals to open the night, the Cadets found their footing behind a timely three from Ndayishimiye and a trio of buckets from
Mohammed Kanneh (South Burlington, Vt.),
Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.), and DuBrul, sparking an 8-0 run to give Norwich its first lead. Plattsburgh State countered with a scoring surge of its own to build a 13-point edge midway through the half.
The Cadets responded in a big way, stringing together a 20-2 run fueled by three-straight drives from Ndayishimiye and key contributions from Ricketts, DuBrul, and
Sharif Sharif (Burlington, Vt.). A late layup by
Mike Johnson-Correia (Mattapan, Mass.) sent Norwich into the break up four, 41-37.
Norwich maintained its edge for much of the second half, with a three-pointer from DuBrul pushing the lead to 52-45 with 11 minutes remaining, but the Cardinals clawed back to tie the game and eventually reclaimed the lead at the free throw line with seven minutes left. Ndayishimiye briefly put the Cadets back on top, 57-56, but Plattsburgh closed on a 12-3 run to escape with the win.
Norwich finished the night shooting 41.1% from the field, while holding the Cardinals to just 37.9%. The Cadets also controlled the paint with a 32-22 advantage in interior scoring and outpaced the Cardinals in fast break points, 14-9.
The Cadets will look to bounce back this weekend at the Vermont State University Castleton Tournament. Norwich will take on St. John Fisher University on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7:00 p.m., before closing the weekend against the University of Maine-Farmington on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 12:00 p.m. inside Glenbrook Gymnasium.
