NORTHFIELD, Vt. — The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team handled business on the road at Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Norwich University, 92-80, on Saturday and extended its win streak to four.

The Falcons currently sit fourth in the league standings with a 7-2 GNAC record.

Four Falcons logged double-digits in scoring, with Ray Ford, Jr. (Jersey City, N.J.) going a near-perfect 4-for-5 from behind the arc en route to a career-high 29 points, while Jayquan Kirkland (Stratford, Conn.) went 5-for-6 from long-range for 18 points. Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) knocked down four field goals and nine free throws for 17 points and Tahijj Hunter (Mount Laurel, N.J.) went 5-for-7 to finish with 12 points.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Albertus Magnus 92 | Norwich University 80

RECORDS: Albertus (11-9, 7-2 GNAC) | Norwich (13-6, 4-4 GNAC)

BOX

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The opening 10 minutes of the contest saw both teams exchange baskets, as Owen Liss struck first for the Cadets over a minute into the affair before the Falcons rallied for six-straight points. Ford, Jr. opened the run for the visitors with a steal for a fastbreak three-pointer to quickly put Albertus up, 3-2, at 18:07, followed by a defensive rebound and jumper by the junior guard. Crawford closed out the stretch with a made shot from the line for the 6-2 lead four minutes into the contest.
• Back-to-back baskets by the Cadets knotted the game at 6-6 before an 8-0 Falcons run ignited by a Ta'zhon Daniels' (New Haven, Conn.) layup off Rodrick Pearson's (Hartford, Conn.) steal. Pearson grabbed the offensive board on the subsequent possession, leading to a dunk with 13:29 left. To close out the run, Kirkland connected for a three-pointer and drew the foul for the four-point play.
• A Sharif Sharif freebie halfway through the initial frame brought the score to 18-12 in favor of Albertus, but it would be the closest the hosts could get throughout the first half, as the visitors embarked on a 19-4 rally to take a 17-point edge. Kirkland sparked the scoring stretch with two straight three-pointers, followed by a fastbreak layup by Crawford thanks to Lennox Serrano's (Waterbury, Conn.) steal at 8:52 in the half. Crawford then embarked on another fastbreak layup, this time earning the credit for the steal to push the lead to 28-12. Kirkland landed another long-range shot at 7:50, but Norwich answered with four points of their own.
• Kirkland closed out the first half scoring for the Falcons with his fifth three with 58 seconds left on the clock.
• Trailing by 16 at the half, the Cadets saw Albertus build its advantage to as large as 25, 74-49, halfway through the second. During that stretch, Ford posted 13 points, including a pair of threes, while Hunter knocked back six straight across a minute of action.
• Norwich surged behind a 15-2 run to bring the Falcons' lead to 12 with 6:18 remaining in regulation.
• Three consecutive trips to the line accounted for a 5-0 Albertus run to extend the edge to 81-64.
• Ford drilled a three-point jump shot on the next Albertus possession, followed by eight free throws by the Falcons to close out the game.

TEAM STATS

Albertus

47.6 FG% | 64.3 3PT% | 67.6 FT% 

Norwich

51.0 FG% | 42.1 3PT% | 78.6 FT%

LEADERS

Albertus

Ray Ford, Jr. 29 Points | 4-5 3PT | 9-12 FG | 7-7 FT | 8 Rebounds | 4 Steals | 1 Assist

Kevin Crawford 17 Points | 3 Rebounds | 3 Steals | 1 Assist | 4-6 FG | 9-10 FT 

Jayquan Kirkland 18 Points | 5-6 FG | 5-6 3PT | 3-3 FT | 1 Block

Tahijj Hunter 12 Points | 5 Rebounds | 5-7 FG | 1 Assist | 1 Steal

Norwich

Owen Liss 23 Points | 7 Rebounds | 9-10 FG | 5-6 FT | 1 Steal | 1 Block

Jalen Olivero 22 Points | 5 Rebounds | 3 Assists | 5-9 3 PT | 7-8 FT

NOTEWORTHY

• Ford, Jr. has scored in double digits in eight of his last nines games and recorded career-highs in field goal percentage (75.0) and three-point percentage (80.0).

UP NEXT

The Falcons return to The Nest on Tuesday, February 4 to host conference foe Emmanuel College (Mass.) at 7:30 p.m.