Middlebury grabbed a 30-point half time lead and never looked back as the Panthers picked up an 81-65 win over Skidmore in Pepin Gym. Middlebury shot .528 from the floor in the first half, outscoring the Thoroughbreds 10-0 from the free throw line.

The Panthers jumped out to a 10-2 lead and later went on 13-4 run to take a 35-15 lead at the 8:13 mark. The lead slowly increased from there with Middlebury taking a 54-24 advantage into the intermission.

The Panthers led by as many as 40 in the second half, with Skidmore outscoring the Panthers 22-3 in the game's final 9:19.

Aaron Smith led Middlebury with 15 points and nine rebounds on seven of eight shooting. Mike Walsh added a dozen with seven boards, while Chris Dowd scored 10.

Jon Douglas paced Skidmore with 14, while Bobby Langford and Jonah Haviland-Markowitz scored 11 apiece.