CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | LIVE STATS | VIDEO

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The #5-seeded Norwich University men's basketball team (17-8, 8-6 GNAC) will travel to #4 Albertus Magnus College (15-10, 11-3 GNAC) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Quarterfinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.

The Cadets are seeking to advance to the GNAC Semifinals for the second-straight season, while the Falcons have reached the GNAC Semifinals every year in the last 15 seasons, dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.  Norwich last hoisted the GNAC crown in the mid-2000s, claiming back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 over Emerson College under the leadership of Head Coach Paul Booth.  Albertus Magnus is just two years removed of its eighth GNAC title with Head Coach Mitch Oliver at the helm, taking home hardware in 2023 after defeating then-undefeated and overall #1-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on the road in the championship game.

BY THE NUMBERS:
Norwich:

• The Cadets enter winners of four of their last six tilts, including a dominating 98-71 victory over Mitchell College last Saturday, Feb. 22.  Three Cadets posted double-digits, spearheaded by career-best efforts from Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) and Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.).  Murray poured in a career-high 35 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Olivero also tallied a career-best on 27 points alongside 12 caroms, three helpers, and one steal.  Sharif Sharif (Burlington, Vt.) rounded out the offensive showcase with 12 points, as the trio combined for a 10-22 mark from long range.  The Cadets shot a blistering 52.1% from the floor.
• In a repeat of last season, the Cadets hail as one of the premier defensive teams in both the GNAC and in Div. III basketball.  Norwich has held teams to 70.7 points per game this year, the best mark in the conference, while also leading the league in field goal percentage defense, limiting teams to just 40.1% from the floor.  Additionally, the Cadets thrive in turning shots away from the basket, ranking second in the GNAC and within the top 50 nationally in Div. III in blocks per game with 4.2 denials.  This year, the Cadets set a season-best nine blocks in the opening round of the Ed Hockenbury Classic against Elmira College on Dec. 7, 2024.

Albertus Magnus:

• The Falcons have won their last two GNAC outings, most recently cruising past New England College, 95-65, on the road on Saturday, Feb. 22.  In an affair where Albertus Magnus led wire-to-wire, five Falcons netted double-digits, with Ta'zhon Daniels racking up 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and a steal to lead the effort.  He was complemented by 15-point performances from Deivone Tanksley and Jayquan Kirkland, while Ray Ford, Jr. and Tahijj Hunter added 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Albertus Magnus maintained a 47.9% clip from the floor while limiting the Pilgrims to a woeful 16.7% from long range, all the while dominating the battle on the glass, outrebounding New England College, 50-35.
• Albertus Magnus has been a force on both ends of the floor this season, ranking second in the GNAC in points per game (81.9) and three-point percentage (36.1%), while leading the league in free-throws made (18.8) and attempted (27.0) per game.  They also dominate on the offensive glass, hauling down a league-best 15.2 per game, while sitting third in total rebounds with 39.8.  Defensively, no team in the GNAC generates more turnovers than the Falcons, creating 18.7 miscues while snagging 10.3 steals per game.  This season, the Falcons have had 11 games where they have recorded at least 10 or more steals, including a season-high 19 against JWU (Providence) and Anna Maria College.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Norwich:

• The Cadets have been led by a trio of double-digit scorers this season, with Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.), Jalen Olivero, and Kohlby Murray all averaging over 15 points per game.  Murray has been an offensive threat throughout the 2024-25 campaign, recording double-digits in 18 outings, including netting over 30 points in tilts against Plymouth State University and Mitchell College.  He has knocked down multiple three-point baskets in 15 contests, with three of those games yielding at least four treys from the senior guard.  Murray ranks sixth in the conference in free-throw percentage (84.5%), 16th in three-point percentage (34.9%), 13th in steals (39), and 15th in points per game (15.9).
• Like Murray, Olivero is also coming off a career-showing against Mitchell, and has tallied double-figures in all but two games this season.  He has crossed the 20-point plateau 11 times this season, while also drilling multiple three-point buckets in 18 performances, including a season-high five against Albertus Magnus College on Feb. 1.  The graduate student ranks within the top 10 in the conference in points per game, sitting seventh overall (17.6).  He also ranks highly in other categories, including placements at 11th in three-point percentage (37.3%), 13th in free-throw percentage (76.3%), 18th in assists (67), and 16th in steals (38).

Albertus Magnus:

• Ta'zhon Daniels has been the catalyst for the Falcons' success this season, netting double-figures in 20 games this season.  The ninth leading scorer in the GNAC behind 17.5 points, the junior guard has scored at least 20 points nine times this year, including a pair of career-best 32-point performances in victories over Colby-Sawyer College and Emmanuel College  He also posted two 31-point showings in GNAC setbacks to Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Anna Maria College, while also handing out 10 assists in a Nov. 22 victory over SUNY Delhi.
• The Falcons also feature two other double-digit scorers, with Ray Ford, Jr. averaging 15.6 points per game this season and Jayquan Kirkland providing 10.6 points off the bench.  Ford, Jr. has been automatic from long range, knocking down outside shots on a 39.0% clip, good for ninth in the league, which has included four games this season with at least five-made three-pointers.  Kirkland, meanwhile, sits fourth in the league in three-point percentage behind a 41.9% mark, with 12 games with at least two-or-more three-pointers.

LAST TIME OUT:

• The Cadets and Falcons met at the start of February, in a 92-80 victory for Albertus Magnus within the confines of Andrews Hall on Feb. 1, 2025.  After Norwich struck first and maintained a 6-6 deadlock, the Falcons took control, claiming a lead they never relinquished.  Albertus Magnus built an advantage that grew to as large as 25 points, but a late rally by the Cadets trimmed the edge down to 10 late in the contest on three-pointers from Kohlby Murray and Jalen Olivero, before the Falcons iced the contest on free-throws.
• Three Cadets and four Falcons notched double-digits, with Owen Liss and Jalen Olivero pacing the effort on 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.) added 13 points.  Ray Ford, Jr. led all scorers, piloting the Falcons behind 29 points on 9-12 shooting, 4-5 from long range, and 7-7 on foul shots.  Jayquan Kirkland, Kevin Crawford, and Tahijj Hunter added 18, 17, and 12 points, respectively.  Norwich finished with a 51.0% mark from the floor to go with a 22-28 clip from the foul stripe, while Albertus Magnus maintained shooting splits of 47.6% (FGs), 64.3% (3PTs), and 67.6% (FTs).

HISTORY ON THE HARDWOOD:

• The Falcons aim to return to the top of the GNAC after falling in the GNAC Semifinals last season to Saint Joseph's College of Maine, finishing 15-10 overall and 11-3 in conference action after going 22-5 last year.  Albertus Magnus dropped its first six games of the year and started 2-8 heading into December, but have gone 13-3 since a 33-point loss at Babson College on Nov. 27.  During that stretch, the Falcons have poured in over 100 points in three victories over Colby-Sawyer College, Mitchell College, and Elms College.  Their last loss came in an 85-82 overtime upset at Anna Maria College on Feb. 12, securing victories in their previous two tilts against Regis College (78-61) and New England College (95-65).
• The Cadets advanced to the GNAC Semifinals last season on a 18-9 overall mark and 9-5 conference mark, nearly matching their success this season on 17-8 overall and 8-6 conference records.  Since the Feb. 1 loss to Albertus Magnus, the Cadets strung together three-straight GNAC victories over Elms College, JWU (Providence), and New England College, before dropping consecutive match-ups to the top two teams in the conference on the road in Lasell University and Saint Joseph's College of Maine.  Norwich rebounded to close the regular season with a dominant showing against Mitchell College.  In their last three victories, the Cadets have eclipsed the 90-point plateau, and they crossed into 100-point territory with a 103-point performance at Vermont State University Lyndon on Dec. 11, 2024.
• Norwich and Albertus Magnus last met in the conference tournament 11 years ago, on Feb. 25, 2014, in the GNAC Quarterfinals, in an 87-69 win for the Falcons.  Gary Gladden led the Cadets with 20 points off the bench, while Evan Tullar added 19 points.  Four Falcons netted double-digits, as Darius Watson tallied 18 points, with Victor Ljuljdjuraj providing a 16-point and 15-rebound double-double.
• The Cadets are on the hunt for their first win over Albertus Magnus since Jan. 19, 2008, when Norwich captured a 73-63 victory in Andrews Hall.  Since then, the Falcons have seized 26-straight victories.

GNAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET (Hosted by higher seeds):

• Monday, Feb. 24 - PLAY-IN
  • #10 Anna Maria at #7 Dean – 5:00 p.m.
  • #9 Mitchell at #8 Elms - 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 25 - QUARTERFINALS
  • #8/9 Winner at #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) – 7:30 p.m.
  • #7/10 Winner at #2 Lasell - 7:00 p.m.
  • #6 Rivier at #3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) - 7:00 p.m.
  • #5 Norwich at #4 Albertus Magnus - 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 27 - SEMIFINALS
  • #1/8/9 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner – TBD
  • #2/7/10 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner – TBD
• Saturday, Mar. 1 - CHAMPIONSHIP
  • Semifinal Winners - TBD

Tuesday's winner moves into the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 27.  The top-seeded Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine will await the winner of Monday night's play-in game between #9-seeded Mitchell College and #8-seeded Elms College.  The 9/8 winner will face Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to play on Thursday against the winner of Norwich and Albertus Magnus.