The Middlebury men's basketball team opened NESCAC play with a 78-64 victory over visiting Amherst on Friday in the 75th all-time meeting between the teams. With the win, the Panthers extend their win streak to eight as they improve to 10-2 on the season. Both teams are back in action on Saturday with Middlebury hosting Hamilton at 3:00 p.m., and the Mammoths (8-3, 0-1) taking on #17 Williams on the road. 
 
It took a while for both teams to find their rhythm, with only five combined points being scored in the opening six minutes. Knotted 7-7 with 13:10 remaining, Amherst went on a 10-3 run over the ensuing 3:09 to take a 17-10 advantage. The Mammoths slowly increased their lead to 22-13 capped on a three from Canin Reynolds with 7:52 showing on the clock. The Panthers responded with a 6-0 spurt, closing the gap to two with just over five minutes to go. The rest of the half went back-and-forth as the teams headed into intermission tied at 31 points apiece.
 
Out of the break, the teams battled with neither squad able to take a sizable lead. Trailing 48-44, Middlebury rattled off 11 unanswered points, capped by a three from Sam Stevens to make it 55-48 with 8:16 remaining. Amherst slowly chipped away at the deficit, cutting the lead to three (58-55) with a shot from beyond the arc by Garrett Day with 4:27 showing on the clock. The Panthers reponded with a 7-0 burst, extending the lead to 65-55 with 1:53 remaining in the game. Middlebury was perfect down the stretch, going 13-13 at the line to secure the 78-64 victory. 
 
Stevens led all players with a career-high 28 points, shooting 5-9 from beyond the arc. Alex Sobel recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 24 points and a game-high 15 boards, while blocking three shots. Noah Osher chipped in with nine points and three steals for the Panthers.
 
Reynolds paced the Mammoths with 15 points, including five three-pointers, while Will Scherer had 12 points and pulled down nine boards.