MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s basketball team won three recent homes games, including two NESCAC games over the weekend, to improve to 13-2, 2-2 in league play.
On Friday, Jan. 16, the Panthers used a 27-7 run to close the first half on the way to a 97-60 victory over Wesleyan. That surge gave the Panthers a 51-24 lead at the break that they stretched in the second half. At one point, Middlebury led by 76-34.
Jake Brown finished with a career-high 14 assists without committing a turnover and Dylan Sinnickson collected his ninth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 boards.
Matt St. Amour led all players with 20 points, while adding six assists and six rebounds. Hunter Merryman chipped in a dozen points, and Connor Huff and Nick Tarantino each netted 11.
For the game, Middlebury shot 12 for 28 from behind the arc, compared to 4 for 19 for Wesleyan (11-5, 1-2 NESCAC).
On Sunday, Connecticut College (7-8, 0-3) put up more of a fight, but the Panthers still prevailed, 63-59.
The Panthers trailed, 22-21, in the first half, but with help from a 9-0 run led at the break, 32-25.
The Panthers still led by six with 7:45 remaining, then went on another 9-0 run to increase their lead to 53-38 at 6:29. The run was sparked by a three from Sinnickson and closed with a St. Amour jumper.
Late in the game, a Camel three-point play cut the Middlebury lead to 58-54 with 33 seconds remaining. St. Amour drained two free throws before Connecticut made it 60-56 with 15 seconds left. Brown made one from the line for Middlebury before a three from Alex Hall made it 61-59 with five seconds remaining. Sinnickson iced the win with two free throws at 0:04.
Merryman led all scorers with 15 points to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds, while St. Amour and Bryan Jones each scored 11. Sinnickson added seven points and nine boards, while Brown dished out five assists.
On Tuesday, the Panthers thumped visiting Johnson State, 102-54. Thirteen Panthers scored, topped by Sinnickson’s 21 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Brown finished with a career-best 16 points and added seven assists and four steals, while Merryman chipped in with 13 points. Henry Pendergast added a career-high six helpers in 12 minutes, while Tarantino finished with five points and a game-high nine rebounds.