The 14th-ranked Middlebury men's basketball team battled back from a first-half deficit and used a late 6-2 run on its way to a 64-57 season-opening win over Westfield State. The Panthers picked up the victory during the Rick Martin Hampton Inn Classic hosted by the Owls. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Tied at 8-8 at the 14:16 mark of the opening half, Westfield State went on a 13-2 run spanning 4:54 of play for a 21-10 lead on a pair of free throws from Brendan Hamilton.
• The Panthers slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling even at 26-26 on a three-point field goal by Nash Goldman with 2:19 remaining in the stanza.
• The Owls finished the half on a 7-3 spurt, capped by a tip-in just before the buzzer from Hamilton for a 33-29 edge at the break.
• Westfield State grabbed a 37-33 lead with 16:16 left on a layup from Timmy Jacobus.
• Middlebury answered with a 13-5 run over the next 3:56, highlighted by six points from Alex Sobel, for a slim 46-42 lead at the 12:20 mark.
• The Panthers maintained small leads over the next few minutes. With 3:27 left, a pair of free throws by Westfield State's JT Thompson brought the hosts to within three (58-55).
• Middlebury scored the ensuing four points, pushing its lead to seven (62-55) on a layup from Sobel with 1:33 showing on the clock.
• A short-range jumper by Thompson on the next possession pulled the Owls to within five, but an offensive rebound by David Brennan and a pair of free throws from Noah Osher sealed the 64-57 victory.

NOTES

• Sobel finished with game-high totals of 22 points and 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the 23rd of his career. He also added a game-best five blocked shots.
• Brennan pulled down 13 boards, as the Panthers held a 61-45 advantage on the glass.
• Sam Stevens increased his streak of making at least one three-point field goal, pushing it to 18-straight games.
• Middlebury won its sixth-consecutive season opener.