Dylan Sinnickson and Hunter Merryman scored 27 points apiece to lead Middlebury (15-4) to a win over Keene State (15-5) in Pepin Gym. The Panthers return to NESCAC play on Friday night at Colby, while the Owls will host Rhode Island College on Saturday.

With the game tied at 12-12, Keene State went on a 7-0 run to take a 19-12 lead with 11:40 remaining. The Owls later led 21-14 when Middlebury answered with a 7-0 spurt of their own to knot the game at 21 apiece at the 8:35 mark. Keene State scored the next six points of the game, including a three from Carlos Ovalle on its way to a 27-21 advantage with 6:05 left in the first half.

Middlebury then began its run, scoring 18 of the game's next 20 points over the next 5:22 to take a 39-29 lead late in the half. Merryman and Sinnickson each scored from downtown during the key run. Five different players scored on a run that was capped by a transition lay-up from Nick Tarantino on a feed from Jake Brown. The Panthers entered the halftime break with a 41-33 advantage.

Keene State took advantage of 11 Panther turnovers, turning them into 17 points, while Middlebury held a 26-17 edge on the boards.

The pace slowed in the second half, as the teams were whistled for 32 fouls with a combined 55 free throw attempts taking place.

The Middlebury lead hovered around seven points for much of the second half until a pair of free throws from Tom Doyle made it a 74-68 game with 6:13 remaining. A three from Merryman started a 7-2 spurt, while Brown converted a lay-up at the 3:12 mark to give Middlebury a 13-point lead at 85-72. The advantage remained in double-digits for the remainder of the contest as the Panthers pulled away to earn the 96-83 victory.

Middlebury finished the game shooting 51 percent from the floor, going 6-15 from long range. Keene State was stellar from the free throw line, knocking down 24-29 (.828) for the game. Middlebury maintained a 50-39 advantage on the boards, while the Owls scored 23 points on 19 Panther turnovers.

Sinnickson added 10 rebounds in the game for his 12th double-double of the season, while Merryman went 8-12 from the floor en route to his career high. Brown finished with 11 points and six assists, while Tarantino grabbed a career-best 13.

Doyle led Keene State with 25 points, surpassing the 1,000 point for his career. Nate Howard added 14 points, while Jeff Lunn netted 13.

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