Middlebury scored the first six points of overtime and held off a late Tufts' rally for a thrilling 85-82 NESCAC victory Friday over the 18th-ranked Jumbos in a boisterous Pepin Gymnasium. The visitors had a chance to tie at the buzzer in the extra period, but a corner three-point field goal rimmed out. The Panthers (8-7, 2-1) are back on the court Saturday for a home game against Bates at 3:00 p.m., while Tufts (11-3, 2-1) travels to Hamilton for a contest at the same time.

The teams stayed within striking distance of each other early, as the opening half featured runs from each team. The Jumbos clung to 10-9 edge with 13:59 remaining in the half, rattling off a 7-2 spurt over a 1:07 span for a 17-11 lead. The Panthers answered with a 12-3 run over the ensuing 3:30, capped off by a three-pointer by Bryan Jones, for a 23-20 lead with 9:22 left. After a lay-up by Tufts' Tom Palleschi tied the contest at 23-23, the hosts ripped off nine of the game's next 10 points for their largest lead of the opening half (32-24) on a three from the wing by Nick Tarantino at 7:25.

Tufts slowly chipped away at the Middlebury lead, tallying 14 of the game's next 20 points, tying the contest at 38-38 on a tip-in by Stephen Haladyna with 1:18 left. The teams traded baskets over the final 26 seconds and were tied at 40-40 headed to the halftime break, as the opening half had six ties and five lead changes.

Much like the first stanza, the two sides exchanged baskets for the first five minutes of the second half. Holding a two-point edge at 47-45, the Jumbos recorded the next five points on a tip-in by Vincent Pace and a three-pointer by Palleschi for their largest lead of the half. Middlebury fought all the way back via a 13-1 run over the next six minutes, finished off by a fadeaway jumper from Matt St. Amour, grabbing a 60-55 lead with 7:09 showing on the clock.

The Jumbos reeled off a 9-2 run during the next two minutes for a 64-62 lead on a three-pointer by Ben Engvall, as the teams traded leads over the final minutes. The Panthers grabbed a three-point lead with 1:52 left on a layup by Jack Daly, but Pace tied the contest on a shot from straight away with 37 ticks left, as both teams missed game-winning shots in the final seconds of regulation.

The overtime period saw Middlebury come out aggressively, feeding off the crowd with the opening six points. St. Amour knocked down a pair of free throws and two fastbreak jumpers for a 78-72 advantage with 3:26 left. The Panthers kept the lead between four and seven points over the ensuing three minutes until a three-pointer by Palleschi from the wing brought Tufts to within two (84-82) with 13 ticks left. St. Amour was fouled, knocking in one of two attempts, before an attempt from the deep corner by Haladyna rattled out as time expired.

St. Amour led the Panthers with 17 points, including nine in overtime, to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Daly added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Jake Brown contributed 10 points and tied Daly for game-high honors with five helpers. Zach Baines came off the bench for a near double-double of nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds, while Jones and Connor Huff each added nine and eight points, respectively. Tarantino had nine rebounds as the Panthers held a 53-44 edge in the rebounding battle.

Pace led all scorers with 22 points for the Jumbos and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Palleschi and Haladyna each had 15 points, while Tarik Smith chipped in with 13. Palleschi added seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, while Engvall aided the Jumbo effort with nine points.