Hunter Merryman, Dylan Sinnickson and Matt St. Amour combined for 75 points on 29-46 (.630) shooting to lead Middlebury to a 101-71 win over Mitchell in the season-opener for both teams. The victory came at the Ramada Roundball Invitational hosted  by the University of New England. The Panthers return to action at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday when they play the host school for the tournament title.

Leading by two midway through the first half, Middlebury went on a 12-2 run behind six points from Sinnickson and grabbed a 33-21 advantage with 8:37 remaining.

The Panthers put the game away in the second half scoring 17 of the first 21 points to take a commanding 66-39 lead in the opening 3:31 of action. Middlebury cruised from that point on, outrebounding its opponents by a 65-39 tally on its way to the victory.

Sinnickson scored 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds on 10-16 shooting from the floor, while Merryman netted 25 points and grabbed 13 boards, shooting 10-16. St. Amour shot 9-15 from the floor, scoring 24 points in the victory. Jake Brown and Jack Daly each dished out eight assists in the win.

Parris Hill led Mitchell with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Donavan McClean scored 16.