NORTHFIELD, Vt.- Norwich erased a 13-point halftime deficit and defeated visiting Nichols, 66-64, on Sunday afternoon as the Cadets captured the Hockenbury Tournament championship. Sophomore Chris Paquin (Barre, Mass.) and junior John Costello (Tolland, Conn.) each led the Bison, now 1-4, with 14 points each. Sophomore Ryan Wilcox (West Granby, Conn.), who had eight points today, was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring a career-high 30 points yesterday.

Derrick Montiero led a balanced Cadets' attack with 14 points, and Jamel Bedford registered his third straight double-double to lead the team to its fourth straight victory.

Bedford scored 12 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, while Jerrold Williams netted 13 points and Tim Fico contributed 13 markers off the bench. Bedford was named the tournament's most valuable player, while Williams earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

Norwich trailed 38-25 at halftime, but the Cadets outscored Nichols 23-12 to begin the second stanza, trimming their deficit to just two points (50-48) with 10:00 to play. Nichols was able to hold NU off for the next few minutes, and the Bison were clinging to a 54-53 lead with 6:27 to play.

A quick 9-2 Norwich spurt gave the Cadets a 62-56 edge with just 2:46 showing on the second half clock, and NU never trailed again. Norwich knocked down 4-of-5 free throws in the final minute to salt away the victory.

In upcoming action, Nichols will host Worcester State on Tuesday at 8 p.m.