STANDISH, Maine - The #8-seeded Norwich University men's basketball team concluded the 2025-26 season on Wednesday night, falling to top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 85-62, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals at the Harold Alfond Center.
The senior duo of
Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) and
Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) led the Cadets in their final games of the season. Ndayishimiye poured in 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, while DuBrul added 14 points.
Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.) nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds.
Saint Joseph's set the early tone with five quick points in an 80-second span before DuBrul put Norwich on the board nearly two minutes into the contest. The Cadets leaned on their defense to remain within striking distance in the opening minutes, and a three-pointer from
Mike Johnson-Correia (Mattapan, Mass.) trimmed the deficit to three midway through the first half.
The Monks maintained an 15-7 edge with 12:23 to play in the opening stanza, but Norwich responded with an 8-3 run fueled by baskets from DuBrul, Ricketts, and
Mohammed Kanneh (South Burlington, Vt.), narrowing the margin to three at the 9:01 mark.
Saint Joseph's gradually built separation late in the half, capturing its first double-digit advantage with 2:50 remaining. The Cadets continued to battle. A DuBrul layup brought the deficit back to nine, and after a quick Monk response, Ndayishimiye converted a pair of free throws to keep the margin at 32-23. Saint Joseph's carried momentum into the locker room, closing the final 80 seconds on a 5-0 run.
Both teams traded three-pointers to open the second half, with
Charles Nogard (Arlington, Mass.) connecting from beyond the arc to hold the gap at 15. The Monks answered with a decisive 10-0 surge, extending the lead to 25 and pushing it to as many as 26 early in the period.
Norwich continued to compete down the stretch. Ndayishimiye scored seven points in a 90-second span to trim the deficit to 17 with 4:54 remaining, but Saint Joseph's responded with an 11-0 rally that proved insurmountable, securing the 85-62 result and advancing to the GNAC Semifinals.
The Cadets conclude the 2025-26 campaign with a 10-16 overall record and a 5-7 mark in conference play, marking their third consecutive GNAC Tournament appearance. Saint Joseph's moves on to host #5 Emmanuel College, which defeated #4 Lasell University in Wednesday's Quarterfinal round, in Friday's GNAC Semifinals.
