Men's Basketball Topped by Norwich, 77-73

NORTHFIELD, Vt.—The Anna Maria College men's basketball team was bested by the Cadets of Norwich University on Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.

With the loss, the AMCATS see their nine-game winning streak come to an end. The team falls to 11-8 overall and 9-3 in GNAC play, while Norwich improves to 7-12 overall and 4-9 in league action.

Junior Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) paced Anna Maria with 20 points. Classmate Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) chipped in with 18 points, while Quantez Franklin (South Yarmouth, Mass.) added 13 points on a six-for-eight effort from the floor.

Freshman Mike Hogervorst tallied a game-high 21 points for Norwich on a 10-for-16 effort from field goal range. Junior Gary Gladden chipped in with 15 points, while Ryan Booth scored 10 points off the bench.

The Cadets shot an impressive 56.9 percent from the floor (33-58) over the course of the game, while holding Anna Maria to a 45.2 percent (28-62) performance. Norwich also posted a 33-29 advantage in rebounds.

Anna Maria led for a majority of the first half and held their largest lead midway through the frame, but a late rally gave Norwich a 35-32 halftime edge.

The game saw a total of 16 lead changes and 11 ties, a majority of which happened in the second half. Neither team managed a comfortable lead, and Norwich never led by more than five points in the entire game.

Delorey tied the game for the last time at 71-71 with 2:25 still to play. Gladden hit a layup on the Cadets' next trip, and Hogervorst recorded a big defensive rebound on the other end and followed with a layup of his own to give the Cadets a two-possession lead with 1:17 still to play.

Bradanese scored with 51 seconds to play to bring the AMCATS within two, 75-73. With five seconds left, Bradanese was fouled, but his first shot missed and there was a line violation on his second shot, giving possession back to the Cadets. A foul put Alex Preckol on the line, where his drained two shots for the four-point win.

Anna Maria will host Rivier on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The annual alumni game will take place after the game at 5:00 p.m.