The Middlebury men's basketball team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with an 83-74 road victory at Keene State on Tuesday as Matt St. Amour led all scorers with 32 points. The Panthers used a 14-2 run to start the second half and made 10-12 free throws in the final 1:08 to wrap up the win. Middlebury (12-8) returns to NESCAC play on Friday, hosting Colby in Pepin Gym at 7:00 p.m.

The Panthers got off to a strong start in the game, jumping out to a 7-4 lead. Jake Brown added to that advantage, scoring the team's next eight points in less than a minute for a 15-7 lead. Brown knocked down a pair of three-pointers and added a layup on three-straight possessions that covered a span of 59 seconds. Middlebury later took its biggest lead of the half (19-9), when Connor Huff scored from in the paint with 13:32 left in the period.

Keene State (12-8) used an 18-9 run to close out the half, finishing the first 20 minutes in a 31-31 deadlock. The Owls tied the game for first since the opening minute, when Nate Stitchell made a three-pointer with 14 seconds left before the intermission.

Middlebury broke the tie in the opening minute of the new half on two free throws by St. Amour. Matt Daley added two more shots from the foul line, before Jack Daly netted consecutive buckets to quickly extend the margin to 40-33. St. Amour hit a three-pointer, followed by two foul shots Daly to cap the run and put the Panthers in front 45-33 with 15 minutes left in regulation.

The Panthers never allowed the Owls to get closer than six points, as the last of those occasions came on two free throws by Ty Nichols with 4:12 on the clock.

Middlebury excelled from the charity stripe in the final 1:08 of the game to preserve the win. St. Amour was a perfect 8-8 in that stretch.

St. Amour's 32 points were one short of a career high set in the season opener, as he went 5-9 from behind the three-point arc and made all 11 of his free-throw attempts. Daley chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Brown had eight points and a game-high six assists. Daly had also had a balanced effort with seven points and six boards.

Nichols led Keene State with 29 points on 9-12 shooting from the floor, while Matt Ozzella added 21. Nate Howard snared a game-high 11 rebounds for the Owls.