MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s basketball team on Wednesday improved to 5-1 with a 99-83 victory over visiting Johnson State (2-3). The Panthers will next travel to Southern Vermont on Wednesday before wrapping up first-semester play by hosting Skidmore on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Against Johnson this past Wednesday, Middlebury shot 54.5 percent from the floor and placed five players in double figures. Still, the Badgers hung close in the early going, using a 6-0 run to pull within 26-25 on a fast break layup by Kawaun Chavis with 7:01 remaining in the first half. But the Panthers used a pair of 12-3 runs down the stretch to take a 50-35 lead at the break, thanks in part to Matt St. Amour’s 17 first-half points.
The Panthers opened the second half with a 16-7 run to take its largest lead of the game of 24 (66-42) on a three-point play from Adisa Majors with 15:59 left. The closest the Badgers came the rest of the way was 12 at 91-79 with 2:43 to go.
St. Amour hit five treys to lead Middlebury with 20 points. Majors finished with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go with six rebounds, while senior guard Jake Brown had 15 points, seven assists and three steals. Brown’s seven assists give him 410 for his career, placing him fourth in the Panther career record books.
Nick Tarantino hit all seven of his shots to finish with 16 points to go with eight rebounds in 21 minutes, while Zach Baines finished with 12 points and three blocks. Jack Daly posted career-best totals in rebounds (13) and assists (11) to go with along four points. The Panthers held a 46-28 rebounding advantage and dished out 25 assists.
Marqwon Wynn led four Badgers in double figures with 23 points, while Chavis added 19. Benjamin Holl added 16 points, and Demetrius Slade chipped in with 11 points and team-high totals of three blocked shots and six steals.