Middlebury College

The 24th-ranked Middlebury men's basketball team opened its season with a 68-62 setback to Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Saturday afternoon.  
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Knotted at 10-10 with 6:05 elapsed, the Panthers put together a 14-4 run covering 6:58 of play. Capping the output was a layup from David Brennan, giving Middlebury an eight-point lead (24-14) with 6:57 left before halftime.
• A jumper by Jalen Samuels brought Saint Joseph to within six (24-18) nearly three minutes later.
• The Panthers answered with a 7-2 spurt, taking their largest advantage of the contest on a pull-up jumper from Sam Stevens with 1:02 remaining.
• A pair of free throws from Kevin Cummings and a bucket from Neill Dickey in the final minute brought the Blue Jays to within 31-24 at the halftime stoppage.
• Saint Joseph opened the second half strong, rattling off a 22-8 run over the initial 5:50 of the stanza, securing a 46-39 lead on a three-point field goal from Lence Altenor.
• Middlebury battled back with the next six points, including four from Stevens, to pull within one (46-45) near the midway point of the half.
• Saint Joseph countered with mini spurts over the next few minutes, taking a 61-53 edge on a free throw by Myles McDuffie with 2:52 left.
• The Panthers wouldn't get any closer than four points twice over the final minutes of the contest, as the Blue Jays knocked down free throws for the final 68-62 score.

NOTES

• Stevens pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds in the contest to go along with a career-high tying 28 points.
• Charley Moore finished with a career-high 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
• Middlebury outrebounded Saint Joseph 53-29 in the game.

The Panthers get back into action on Tuesday when they travel to Clark for a 5:00 p.m. tipoff.