The Middlebury men's basketball squad saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end with a 78-53 road loss at # 20 Williams on Saturday. The Panthers (14-3, 4-1) return to action on Friday, January 28 for a conference matchup with Trinity College at Pepin Gymnasium, while the Ephs (14-1, 4-1) will travel to SUNY New Paltz for a non-conference game on Tuesday, January 25.
 
Middlebury started the game strong, earning a 6-3 lead just over four minutes into the game. Alex Sobel scored twice in the paint and Noah Osher added two free throws to put the Panthers in front. However, turnovers and missed opportunities would cost Middlebury as Williams took advantage of its possessions and grabbed the lead back for good with just over 15 minutes left in the half.  Williams notched the next nine points before Sobel hit a free throw to cut the Eph lead to 12-7. Osher brought the Panthers to within seven (17-10) on a jumper, before Williams expanded its margin and the Panthers called a timeout.
 
Middlebury starters scored combined to score 12 points after the timeout to chip away at the Eph lead and bring the Panthers within (35-24), before heading to the locker room. Middlebury allowed 12 points off turnovers in the first half after giving the ball up 10 times. Osher and Sobel paced the Panthers in the first half with seven points each.
 
The second half began with Williams continuing its control of the floor. A Declan Porter field goal gave Williams its largest lead of the day at 45-26 with under 18 minutes remaining in the game. The next two minutes saw a more back-and-forth affair, with Sobel and Osher each contributing points. However, Nate Karren took control and went on a 6-0 run to give the hosts a 53-30 lead. Sobel provided some energy to the Panther squad at the 12-minute mark when he stole the ball and dunked to bring the Panthers within 19. He followed that up with a block on the defensive end of the floor, but the Middlebury squad couldn't catch up to the Ephs.
 
Three Panthers scored in double digits in the loss. Sobel led the squad with his 12th double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in addition to two blocks and two steals. Osher put up 13 points and was perfect from the charity stripe. Sam Stevens contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists on the day. Declan Porter and Karren led the Ephs with 17 points and 16 points, respectively.
 
Middlebury held the edge in rebounding, collecting 40 to Williams' 37. The two teams earned the same number of points in the paint (26), but Williams had the advantage in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.