NEW LONDON, Conn. - A furious rally by the Norwich University men's basketball team fell just short in the final moments, as the Cadets dropped a narrow 71-68 decision to Mitchell College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

A trio of Cadets reached double digits, led by a career-best 32-point outburst from Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.), who shot 12-25 from the floor and buried three shots from long range.  He also corralled 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.  Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.) added 12 points on 6-9 shooting in 23 minutes, while Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) chipped in with 10 points.

The Mariners opened the game with a three-pointer on their first possession and never trailed in the opening half, despite consistent pressure from Norwich.  The Cadets kept the deficit within one possession on four different occasions, and remained within five at the 10:48 mark after a Mohammed Kanneh (South Burlington, Vt.) layup.  Mitchell then ripped off a 12-0 run to take control, stretching the lead to 35-18 in a span of just over three minutes.

Norwich fought back to stay within reach, with key buckets from Riley Severy (Barre, Vt.), DuBrul, Ndayishimiye, and Mike Johnson-Correia (Mattapan, Mass.).  A strip-and-score by Ndayishimiye with 1:39 to play capped off the surge, cutting the lead to nine as the Cadets entered halftime trailing, 43-34.

Five quick points from Ndayishimiye opened the second half and brought the Cadets within four, though Mitchell briefly pushed the lead back to eight.  A critical rally midway through the frame, fueled by eight more points from Ndayishimiye and a jumper by Noah Hutchinson (Montclair, N.J.), knotted the game at 52-all.

Mitchell responded once again, using a timely surge to regain a double-digit cushion at 65-55 with just over five minutes remaining.

Norwich refused to go quietly, chipping away with a 12-5 run over the next three minutes. Ricketts' layup with 1:42 left brought the Cadets within three.  After a tense scoreless stretch, Ndayishimiye knocked down a free throw with 33 seconds remaining, trimming the deficit to two.  The Mariners answered with a free throw of their own, and Mitchell's defense held strong in the closing seconds to deny the Cadets a game-tying attempt.

Norwich held the edge in fast break points (16-10), points in the paint (46-36), and bench points (11-2), while shooting 44.4% from the field and winning the rebounding battle, 42-34.

The Cadets will continue GNAC play on the road with a 7:00 p.m. rematch at New England College on Wednesday, Feb. 11.  Norwich then returns home to Andrews Hall on Saturday, Feb. 14, for a pivotal conference clash against perennial GNAC powerhouse University of Saint Joseph (Conn.).