MBB: Norwich battles back to sink Panthers

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team fell to the Norwich University Cadets, 82-81, in non-conference action at Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cadets completed the second half comeback, scoring a final 3-pointer with seven seconds left, to shock the Plymouth State faithful at home. Plymouth State poured in 54 first half points and scored from all parts of the floor in the well-fought battle, finishing with 15 three-pointers, just three shy of the school record.

Four Panthers landed in double-digits, as sophomore Torran Bosworth (Springfield, Mass.) led Plymouth State with 19 points, while senior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) scored 18 points of his own. Graduate student Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) dropped 13 points, while senior Christian Barr (Henniker, N.H.) rounded out the evening with 11 points in the losing effort.

Plymouth State moves to 4-8, while Norwich goes to 9-3 on the season.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 81, Norwich 82
  • Plymouth State (4-8)
  • Norwich (9-3)

Top Performers:

• Torran Bosworth (19 pts, 7-13 fg, 5-9 3pt, 3 reb, 4 ast)
• Kyler Bosse (15 pts, 7-14 fg, 3-7 3pt)
• Giorgi Tsiklauri (13 pts, 5-14 fg, 3-9 3pt, 8 reb)
• Christian Barr (11 pts, 4-9 fg, 3-5 3pt)

How it Happened:

• The teams traded buckets to open the contest as Norwich carried a narrow 10-8 advantage with 15:47 to play in the first half.
• Plymouth State erupted on a 17-1 run to take a commanding 25-11 lead with 11:58 left until halftime.
• Back-to-back three-pointers extended the Panthers' lead to 23 (52-29) with just under two minutes remaining in the first.
• The Panthers maintained the sizable advantage (54-32) as the teams went into the locker room.
• Norwich came out of halftime on a mission, starting the second on a 10-2 spurt to cut the deficit to 56-42 with 17:50 left to play.
• Plymouth State settled play down, exchanging baskets with the Cadets to maintain a double-digit lead (71-58) midway through the second half.
• The Cadets continued to chip away, cutting the deficit to 73-64 with 7:19 remaining in the contest.
• Using a 13-2 run heading into the final minute, Norwich closed the gap to a one-possession game, 81-79, with 52 seconds to play.
• Norwich completed the second half comeback knocking down a 3-pointer with less than ten seconds on the clock. Plymouth State had one last attempt at a buzzer-beater but was unable to convert.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers shot 61.8% in the first half, including a 10-for-15 effort from beyond the arc. PSU finished the game 32-of-71 (45.1%) from the floor, and 15-of-31 (48.4%) from three.
• Norwich shot a blistering 68% in the second half (17-of-25) and went 8-of-10 from distance, finishing 27-of-47 (57.4%) from the field and 10-of-15 from deep.
• PSU took only six free throws in the contest, while the Cadets attempted 26.
• The Panthers outrebounded Norwich, 35-29, and held an 18-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
• Norwich led for only 65 seconds in the entire contest.
• Both teams recorded 13 points off the bench.
• PSU recorded nine steals to Norwich's four.
• Points in the paint went to the Cadets, 30-22.
• It was the first victory for Norwich over the Panthers in the last 10 meetings.
• The Panthers now own a 9-3 record in the head-to-head dating back to 1986.

Up Next:

• The Panthers return to Little East Conference (LEC) action on Saturday (Jan. 6) when they travel to Rhode Island College for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.

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