NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team returned from Thanksgiving break with a competitive battle inside Andrews Hall, nearly fending off a second-half surge before falling to Skidmore College, 67-61, in non-conference action on Monday evening.
Three Cadets eclipsed the double-digit mark, with
Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.),
Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.), and
Niklas Nordberg (Fairfield, Pa.) each tallying 12 points apiece. Ndayishimiye hauled down a team-best seven caroms, Ricketts snagged a game-high five steals, and Nordberg knocked down three long-range shots to pace the Norwich effort.
After initial empty possessions from both teams, Ricketts opened the affair with a jumper to spearhead a quick 5-0 game-opening spurt for the Cadets. Norwich seized early momentum behind a flurry of three-pointers, pushing to a double-digit lead on a
Noah Hutchinson (Montclair, N.J.) triple off a
Riley Severy (Barre, Vt.) assist. A minute later, Nordberg stretched the margin to 11 with another trey from the wing.
The Thoroughbreds clawed back with a 6-0 run, but back-to-back Ndayishimiye threes rebuilt the Norwich advantage to 12, the Cadets' largest lead of the night. Skidmore continued to chip away, trimming the gap to three in the closing minutes of the half, but Nordberg responded with another clutch triple, followed moments later by one more to send Norwich into the locker room with a 39-31 lead.
After a Skidmore three to open the second half, Norwich roared back with a 7-0 run behind buckets from Ricketts,
Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.), and Ndayishimiye to regain a 12-point cushion. From there, however, momentum shifted dramatically, as the Thoroughbreds erupted for a 20-4 burst over a six-minute span to seize a 54-50 lead with nine minutes remaining.
The Cadets punched back, holding Skidmore scoreless for nearly four minutes while stringing together buckets from Nordberg and
Mohammed Kanneh (South Burlington, Vt.). A Nordberg free throw capped the spurt and gave Norwich a brief 55-54 edge with 5:23 left, its final lead of the game.
Skidmore regained the upper hand with five straight points and never trailed again. Ricketts brought the Cadets even at 59-all with a strong drive to the rim, but the Thoroughbreds iced the game at the line and escaped with a hard-fought eight-point victory.
Norwich outscored Skidmore in the paint, 28-20, and held a 14-11 edge in second-chance points.
The Cadets will now set their sights on the 27th annual
Ed Hockenbury Classic this weekend. Norwich opens the tournament on Saturday, Dec. 6, with a 6:00 p.m. showdown against the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Western New England and Eastern Connecticut State follow in the 8:00 p.m. contest, with the losers and winners meeting in Sunday's consolation and championship games at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.
