Staff Report
NEW LONDON — The Norwich University men’s basketball team earned its fifth Great Northeast Athletic Conference win of the season while downing Colby-Sawyer, 76-54, in a matchup at the David L. Coffin Fieldhouse.
Norwich’s Jalen Olivero had a game-high 17-points in the victory while grabbing six boards and dishing out three assists. Samuel-Noah Osarenkhoe earned 16 points while shooting 75 percent from the field and Kyle Booth and Donovan Lewis Jr. added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Norwich jumped out to an early 14-6 lead after Booth knocked down a 3 with 15:39 remaining in the first half. Colby-Sawyer battled to within four before Lewis Jr. scored the next four points to give the Cadets a 21-13 edge.
The Chargers closed the gap to three with a layup by Kevin Cummings, but Kohlby Murray and Jaydon Cousin combined to extend the lead to seven. Norwich went into the half holding a 35-26 lead after Olivero knocked down a clutch 3-pointer at the end of the half.
The Cadets opened the second half by scoring the first 12 points before Colby-Sawyer made its first bucket of the half. Norwich went on to outscore the Chargers 41-28 in the second half on its way to the victory.
Norwich (10-9, 5-6 GNAC) will host Saint Joseph’s College at 5 p.m. Saturday. They Cadets will travel to play Emmanuel before holding their Senior Day ceremonies against Dean on Feb. 12.
Women’s basketballNEW LONDON — The Norwich University women’s basketball team started slow, scoring only 10 point in the first quarter, but erupted for 22 points in the second quarter as they downed Colby-Sawyer in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action, 55-53.
The Cadets were led offensively by freshman Haley Brewster with 22 points and three rebounds. Maren McGinn knocked down 4 of 8 shots from the field as she scored nine points with a game-high eight rebounds. Teammate Skylar Burzynski excelled after coming off the bench, tallying 13 points and four rebounds. Burzynski also had two steals and a pair of assists.
After Colby-Sawyer’s defense kept the Cadets to three points in the first 5:47 of the contest, Burzynski hit a jumper to bring the Cadets to within five points. The Chargers extended their lead back to eight, but the Cadets would not be denied while closing the gap back to within three after Rachel Botala hit a jumper and Brewster followed 31 seconds later with a 3-pointer. The Chargers ended the first quarter with a 17-10 advantage.
Norwich erupted for 22 points in the second quarter, outscoring the Chargers 22-7 in the frame as they took a 32-24 lead into the locker room.
After the defenses of both teams were successful in the first 3:24 of the second half, Brittany Graham hit a free throw and Brewster followed with a jumper to give the Cadets an 11-point lead. The Chargers were able to minimize the damage and were outscored 9-8 in the third frame.
Norwich held the lead until 1:32 remained in the fourth quarter, when the Chargers’ Emily Parent hit a 3-pointer. After the next Charger possession ended in a stop, Burzynski made it to the other side of the floor and found enough room to make a layup to give the Cadets a lead that they would not relinquish.
Norwich (8-8, 6-3 GNAC) will host Saint Joseph’s College at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Cadets will visit the Monks on Monday before visiting league-leading Emmanuel later in the week.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.