By Madeline Scovotti

After a win that marked the third straight victory for Suffolk’s men’s basketball team, the Rams have proven that they are here to fight and dominate this season.

Tuesday’s victory over Norwich University was a particularly exciting victory for the Rams as, according to senior captain Sam Nwadike, Norwich is one of their biggest rivals.

Though Nwadike admits the game against Norwich would be a challenge, he had no doubts about being able to overcome their rival.

“As far as tonight the main key is: defense, defense, defense,” said Nwadike. “We are one of the leading scorers as far as team wise in the conference, so we’re not really worried about scoring or our offense. It’s really just our defense, being able to shut teams down, keep them under a certain amount of points and get rebounds. But I’m really confident in tonight’s game. ”

The team certainly proved they were able to step up their defense with an 80-58 victory against the Cadets, leading the scoreboard throughout the entire game.

Though it is just the beginning of the season, with an overall record of 4-3 and three straight victories in a row, the success of the team already seems promising. Nwadike also looks at the remainder of the season with great optimism, and a hope that his team can continue to work together to succeed.

“We definitely have a good team dynamic,” said Nwadike. “We just have to work as a team on our consistency. You know, our coach always says that we don’t ever play a full 40-minute game because we’ll play really hard for five minutes then let the other team come back. That’s what we really need to work on; playing a full 40-minute game.”

Norwich never got the chance to come back over the Rams, however, as Suffolk virtually dominated the game, almost never allowing less than a 15-point gap between the scores.

When it comes to looking ahead in men’s basketball this season, Nwadike has set some big goals for his team, and has no doubts about the team’s success and where it will take them.

“We’re going to make it to the playoffs,” said Nwadike. “I can tell you that from a captain and from a leader’s perspective that as far as making playoffs, there’s no question about it. Everyone’s playing their roles and that’s pretty much what’s helped us win these games.”

The senior biology major also has set a goal for him and his team that he knows will be the biggest challenge they will face this semester, but will be the most rewarding if achieved.

“My particular goal, honestly, is to win the conference and to go to the Divison-III national tournament,” said Nwadike. “That’s really what I want to do. I want to make it to the tournament.”

At the current rate that the Rams are succeeding, anything is possible for this team.