NASHUA, N.H. - A putback layup by Riley Severy (Barre, Vt.) with 1.1 seconds remaining capped a furious second-half rally, as the Norwich University men's basketball team stunned Rivier University, 62-61, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) thriller on Tuesday night at the Muldoon Center.

Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) continued his dynamic offensive stretch with a game-high 22 points on 50.0% shooting, leading a trio of double-digit scorers.  Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) notched a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Mike Johnson-Correia (Mattapan, Mass.) added 10 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute.

The opening minutes featured a back-and-forth exchange, as Rivier took an early 4-2 lead before a 90-second scoreless stretch.  The Raiders strung together a pair of threes to build a 10-6 edge, but Norwich responded with a 7-0 run sparked by a Ndayishimiye triple and capped by a Severy tip-in that forced a Rivier timeout.

Out of the huddle, Rivier surged ahead, outscoring Norwich, 30-11, over the final 10:22 of the first half to seize a commanding 40-24 halftime advantage.

The Raiders maintained that 16-point cushion early in the second frame, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Ndayishimiye ignited a 20-6 run over the next eight minutes.  DuBrul capped the stretch with a layup that brought the Cadets within two, 52-50.

Despite Norwich's momentum, Rivier held the lead through the late stages, repeatedly fending off Cadet surges and building back three separate five-point cushions.  A Ndayishimiye layup with three minutes remaining snapped a scoreless stretch, cutting the margin to three.  After a Rivier free throw extended the lead to four with 1:43 left, both teams traded empty possessions before Norwich's final push.

In transition, Ndayishimiye's driving attempt was denied, but he found a wide-open Johnson-Correia in the corner, who drilled a triple to make it 61-60 with under a minute to play.  A defensive stop set up the final sequence: with less than five seconds left, Ndayishimiye drove the lane again, and while his shot rolled off the rim, Severy was there to tip in the go-ahead basket with 1.1 seconds on the clock.

Rivier's last-second heave missed left of the rim, sealing a thrilling road win for the Cadets.

Norwich outscored Rivier, 48-34, in points in the paint, including a dominant 30-14 advantage in the second half.  The Cadets also held leads in fast break points (12-2), bench scoring (8-6), and second chance points (13-11), while shooting 40.9% from the field and winning the rebounding battle, 39-30.

The Cadets will wrap up the week with another GNAC road test, traveling to Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.  Norwich will then return to Andrews Hall to host Lasell University on Wednesday, Jan. 28.