Men's Basketball falls on Senior Day to Norwich, 65-50

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier Men's Basketball team dropped their GNAC matchup to the Norwich Cadets 65-50, this afternoon at the Muldoon Gymnasium. With the loss, the Raiders drop to 4-19 (3-13 GNAC). With the win, the Cadets improve their record to 8-14 (5-11 GNAC).

Rivier started off hot in this one. With some good offensive shooting, the Raiders were able to take a quick 9-0 lead with Andre Ruff (Lowell, Mass.) scoring 7 points on the run. On offense, the Raiders looked as if they couldn't miss, outscoring the Cadets 16-6 in the first 5 minutes of the half. Defensively, the Raiders communicated well and forced Norwich to rush their possessions. As a result, the Cadets made some bad decisions and took poor shots early in the possession.

Despite the slow start, the Cadets were able to put together a nice run of their own. Down 16-6, Norwich, with a few key 3-point shots, was able to trim the Raider lead to just four behind an 8-0 run. The rest of the half was back and forth. Neither the Raiders nor the Cadets were able to really pull away. The Raiders were able to hold strong towards the end to hold onto a 7 point lead. Rivier led 34-27 at the break.

Rivier had good numbers by freshman Andre Ruff (Lowell, Mass.) who was able to record 13 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds for the Raiders. Kywane Thomas (Hartford, Conn) also played well for the Raiders scoring 7 points and grabbing 3 rebounds. Edward Soucie (South Ryegate, V.T.) added an additional 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Norwich had good numbers turned in by Mike Hogervorst (Leiden, Netherlands) who scored 8 points for the Cadets while teammates Tommy Fitzgerald (Williston, V.T.) and Evan Tullar (Chelsea, V.T.) each scored 7 points for their team.

The second half for the Cadets was much different than the first. Great team defense and good shot selection led to a very productive half. Because of the pressure defense applied by the Cadets, Rivier committed many turnovers resulting in many fast break opportunities for Norwich. Down 7 at the half, the Cadets, using big man Mike Hogervorst (Leiden, Netherlands) as their aggressor, were able to get a lot of favorable matchups.

Behind an impressive run by the Cadets, the Raiders were forced to call time at the 7 minute mark. The Cadets held a 14 point lead and seemingly all of the momentum. The Raiders had to overcome some steep odds in order to contest for a comeback bid. Ultimately, the efforts by the Raiders were not enough, as the Cadets powered their way to the victory.

 Rivier had good performances turned in by Andre Ruff (Lowell, Mass.) who was able to record 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kywane Thomas (Hartford, Conn.) added an additional 9 points and 5 rebounds while Edward Soucie (South Ryegate, V.T.) finished with 9 points.

Norwich had good performances turned in by Mike Hogervorst (Leiden, Netherlands) who was able to score 18 points including a near perfect shooting percentage from the line 10 of 11. Evan Tullar (Chelsea, V.T.) led the Cadets with 18 points. Ryan Booth (Northfield, V.T.) added 11 points for his team.  

For their next contest, the Rivier Men's Basketball team will host Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday, February 17^th at 7:00pm in a GNAC matchup. Norwich University will host the Mount Ida Mustangs in a GNAC showdown on Tuesday, February 17^th at 7:00pm.