Northfield, VT —The Norwich University men's basketball team dropped a 65-45 decision to the undefeated Eagles of Husson University in Saturday's non-conference action at Andrews Hall. With the loss the Cadets fall to 2-7 on the season, while the Eagles remain unbeaten and improve to 9-0.

The Eagles saw a game-high double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds by sophomore Trevon Butler (Waterbury, CT). Senior Brooks Spaulding (Fairfield, ME) added 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior Donte Cottonham (Silver Spring, MD) and junior Aaron Willis (New York, NY) chipped in with seven points apiece.

Norwich was paced by senior Tom McDonald (Groton, MA) with 13 points. Junior Evan Tullar (Chelsea, VT) added 12 points and a team-best five rebounds, while sophomore Gary Gladden (Boynton Beach, FlL) chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Husson's head coach Warren Caruso said of the win, "It felt good to get back on the floor after 21 days. All in all it was a solid effort by our team, considering this is the toughest time of the year. You have to find your rhythm and timing in a short period of time."

Husson scored the first basket of the game and would not trail from there. The Eagles would hold a 10-point lead with 10:15 to play in the first half at 20-10. Norwich's best attempt to take the lead came in the next three minutes, as the Cadets used an 8-0 run to cut Husson's lead to 20-18 with7:03 on the clock.

The Eagles converted on a layup attempt by Spaulding on their next trip down the floor to snap the scoreless streak, and the Eagles defense held the Cadets scoreless in the final three minutes of the game to open a 15-point margin, 37-22, at halftime.

The second half continued in similar fashion, as the Eagles maintained a double-digit lead for the entire half. Husson's biggest lead of 21 points came with 11:32 remaining in regulation. Norwich was able to cut the Eagles' lead to 13 with five minutes to play, but it was the closest that the Cadets would come in the second half.

Despite the scoring differential, Norwich bested Husson in turnovers, forcing the Eagles into 18 while committing just 13 themselves. The Cadets also bested the Eagles in points off turnovers (19-12), fast-break points (13-6), and points off the bench (18-13).

Norwich shot 28.6 percent (16-56) from the floor over the course of the game, while Husson connected on 41.5 percent (22-53) of their field-goal attempts.

The Cadets will travel to Albertus Magnus for a 7:00 p.m. Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The Eagles will return home to host non-conference Colby College on Tuesday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m.