The Middlebury men's basketball team saw a nine-game home winning streak come to an end with a 71-62 loss to the University of Maine Fort Kent on Saturday afternoon in Pepin Gym. The Bengals, a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), move to 6-10 on the season, while the Panthers fall to 13-3. Middlebury returns to action on Tuesday night when it hosts Lyndon State at 7:00 p.m.

Middlebury came out strong, taking an 11-6 lead on a three from Dylan Sinnickson at the 16:14 mark of the first half. UMFK scored the next six points, taking a 12-11 advantage on a bucket from Marquis Glenn with 13:43 remaining. The game swayed back and forth, with the Bengals taking a four-point advantage on a three from James Givens, making it a 24-20 game with 6:01 left. The Panthers tied the game on a jumper from Dean Brierley, before a buzzer-beating three from Jake Rioux gave UMFK a 35-28 halftime advantage.

The Bengals extended their lead to 42-33 in the second half on a three from Mauro Vicic with 15:41 remaining. Middlebury then made a run, scoring 11 of the game's next 13 points to tie the game at 44-44. Sinnickson scored six points during the spurt, as Hunter Merryman bookended the run with a two and a three.

UMFK answered with a big surge of its own, taking a 58-46 lead with 5:30 remaining after a 14-2 run. The Panthers chipped away, coming within four at 62-58, with 2:53 left on a three from Sinnickson. The Bengals scored the next seven points to seal the win as Middlebury went 0-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the line during that time.

The Panthers did not shoot well from long-range, going 7-27 (.259) from behind the arc, while shooting .351 from the floor and converting 3-8 (.375) free throws. UMFK ended the game connecting on 5-13 (.385) threes, 14-21 (.667) from the line, while shooting .448 from the floor. Middlebury held a 50-38 rebounding advantage in the contest.

Sinnickson finished with his 10th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 boards, while Merryman earned his third with 15 points and a dozen rebounds. Brierley finished with nine markers and Matt Daley scored eight, while Jake Brown dished out 10 assists.

Joe McCloskey led all scorers with 20 points, Marquis Glenn had a huge game with 19 points and 17 rebounds, while Vicic added 11 for the Bengals.