Victor Ljuljdjuraj (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) led all scorers with 26 points to go along with 14 rebounds as he and the No. 17 Albertus Magnus men's basketball team defeated Norwich University 86-71 on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.
With today's victory, the Falcons improve to 21-2 on the year and an impressive 15-1 in GNAC play, while Norwich falls to 5-18 overall and 3-13 in league action.
Albertus opened the contest with a 7-0 run before the Falcons extended their lead to 17-6 on a Kyle Wiggins (Milford, Conn.) free throw with 12:07 left in the first half. The Falcons went into the break with a 42-28 lead thanks to 13 points from Eian Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) as he shot 5-of-8 from the floor. Albertus shot 46.7% from the field in the opening frame and out-rebounded the Cadets 26-16.
After the Falcons dominated the first half of the contest, the second frame was much closer as Norwich shot over 45% from the field. Despite their better offensive performance in the half, the Cadets could not catch up to the Falcons.
Albertus held its largest lead of the day with 8:51 left in the contest as the Falcons' held an 18-point advantage. The Falcons also shot 48.6% from the floor in the second half and finished the day with a 47.7% showing. Albertus also hit just three of its 13 attempts from behind the arc.
Ljuljdjuraj finished 11-of-14 from the floor, while Davis had 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. James Jennings (Bridgeport, Conn.) added 12 points. Wiggins tallied nine points off the bench, while Marcus Walker (Newark, N.J.) had seven points and eight rebounds off the bench as well.
Senior Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) scored five points for the Falcons as he is 20 points away from his 2,000th career point as a Falcon.
Albertus is now 16-12 all-time against Norwich as the Falcons have won 11-straight against the Cadets, including a 97-85 victory over Norwich in New Haven on Jan. 7. The Falcons are 7-6 all-time against Norwich on the road.
Albertus will next travel to Rhode Island to take on Johnson & Wales in GNAC play on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
