NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's basketball team concluded the 2024-25 regular season by continuing to make history on Senior Day, capsizing Mitchell College, 98-71, within the confines of Andrews Hall in a pivotal Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash.

Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) and Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) supplied showstopping performances on the hardwood in their final collegiate regular season games inside Andrews Gymnasium, logging new career-highs in points.  Murray finished with a 13-21 mark from the floor, pouring in a career-best 35 points alongside 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.  Olivero also enjoyed setting a new career-high, going 11-21 on field goals to tally a 27-point and 12-board double-double.

Sharif Sharif (Burlington, Vt.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, while Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.) flirted with a double-double on nine points and eight caroms.  Donato Pakak (Sarasota, Fla.) was a force inside, racking up four blocks against the Mariners.

Pakak kicked off the scoring for the Cadets and never looked back, generating a quick 6-0 start by Norwich.  A Mitchell jumper brought the advantage down to five, but the Cadets never allowed the Mariners to gain any momentum, responding with a 20-5 run to capture a 20-point advantage.  The stretch included seven straight points to close it, off shots from Nogard, Murray, and Olivero.

The Mariners trimmed Norwich's edge to 12, yet the Cadets again had an answer, extending the lead back out to 18.  Mitchell closed the gap in the waning minutes, whittling it down to single-digits, but a three-point bomb from Murray off a feed by Olivero helped the Cadets enter halftime with momentum.

Another rally by Mitchell out of the gates was neutralized by Norwich, as the hosts enjoyed building another 20-point lead.  A shot from beyond the arc from Jason Douglas (Montclair, N.J.) proved to be a back-breaker, with Norwich's advantage proceeding to balloon to as large as 31 points off buckets by Murray and Pakak.

Impressive play from the bench iced the game for the Cadets, with Niklas Nordberg (Fairfield, Pa.) closing the affair off a gorgeous helper from Quinn Twombly (Glastonbury, Conn.) to secure the 27-point victory.

Norwich rolled in a handful of categories, outpacing the Mariners in points in the paint (44-26), fast break points (24-17), and points off turnovers (17-6).  The Cadets were unstoppable from the floor, maintaining an electrifying 52.1% mark on field goals while knocking down 11 shots from long range.

Prior to tip-off, Norwich celebrated Senior Day, honoring Murray, Olivero, Pakak, and Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) for their lasting impacts and contributions to the men's basketball program.  In addition, the Cadets also recognized Murray, Olivero, and Liss in a special ceremony focusing on Norwich's five graduating 1,000-point scorers, alongside the women's basketball team's tandem of graduating 1,000-point scorers in Haley Brewster and Maren McGinn.

With the win, the Cadets have secured the fifth seed in the GNAC Tournament for the second straight season and have qualified for the GNAC Quarterfinals, setting up a showdown with fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m.  The Falcons defeated Norwich, 92-80, on Feb. 1 in Andrews Hall, as the Cadets will be looking for their first win over Albertus Magnus since Jan. 19, 2008.

Additional information on the GNAC Quarterfinals, including live stats, video, and a preview, will be available in the coming days.