The Middlebury men's basketball team concluded its regular season with an 81-73 loss Sunday afternoon at Tufts. The Panthers (17-5, 7-3) and the Jumbos (13-9, 8-2) return to action next week in the NESCAC Tournament. Both teams will learn their respective opponents when the brackets are released on Monday.

Ahead 10-8 with 14:05 left in the opening half, the Jumbos went on a 16-2 run for a 26-10 advantage on a three-point field goal from Tyler Aronson. Middlebury chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within 37-25 on a layup by Sam Stevens at the 2:11 mark. Carson Cohen converted a layup for Tufts, propelling the hosts into the halftime break ahead 40-26.

An early 10-3 run capped on a three from Stevens pulled Middlebury to within 43-36 with 17:49 left. Tufts regained its double-digit lead (47-36) on a pair of free throws by Dylan Thoerner with just over 15 minutes showing on the clock. The Panthers responded with a 12-1 spanning 4:28 of action, pulling even at 48-48 on a jumper by David Brennan. Middlebury gained its first edge of the contest at 56-54 on a bucket from Charley Moore with 7:02 left. After trading small leads, Noah Osher knotted the contest 68-68 on a jumper with 3:05 remaining. The Jumbos recorded the decisive 13-5 run, going 7-of-8 at the free-throw line down the stretch, en route to the 81-73 win.

Osher led all players with 23 points, including 18 after halftime, to go along with six rebounds. Stevens added 14 points, while Alex Sobel posted his 16th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards. He has pulled down 269 rebounds this season, moving him into fourth place in the program's single-season list. Brennan nearly had another double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Thoerner paced four Jumbos in double figures with 19 points, Aronson added 13, while Luke Rogers finished with 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

The Panthers shot 38.2 percent (26-68) from the floor, while Tufts connected on 47.4 percent (27-57).