The 24th-ranked Middlebury men's basketball team put together a second-half comeback bid on Tuesday evening at Clark, but the Cougars reeled off a late run to secure a 70-66 victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Knotted at 2-2 early on, Clark put together a 19-9 run spanning nearly eight minutes to grab a 21-11 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Bruce Saintilus with 10:39 left before halftime.
- The Panthers chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to three (24-21) five minutes later on a layup from Tristan Joseph.
- Clark rattled off the next nine points, moving out to a double-digit advantage (33-21) on a jumper from Kekoa McArdle with 2:30 remaining.
- Middlebury closed the half on an 8-3 spurt, pulling to within seven (36-29) on a bucket from Joseph in the waning seconds.
- Trailing 44-36 following a three-point field goal by Saintilus with 17:47 left, the Panthers started their comeback bid.
- Middlebury manufactured a 17-5 run covering 4:36 of play, taking its largest lead of the contest at 53-49 on a three by Sam Stevens.
- Four quick points by the Cougars leveled the score at 53-53, before a free throw by Joseph and a trio of charity tosses from Jaden Bobbett increased the advantage to 57-53.
- Clark rattled off seven of the ensuing nine points, regaining the lead for good (60-59) on a layup from Isaiah Taylor with 8:28 showing on the clock.
- The teams traded baskets over the next six minutes before a layup from David Brennan at 2:27 made it a one-point game (67-66).
- After both sides didn't score in their next possessions, a layup from McArdle and a free throw by Mikey O'Brien provided the final 70-66 score.
NOTES
- Joseph recorded career-high totals in points (eight) and steals (three) in the contest.
- Brennan nearly finished with a double-double with a team-best eight rebounds to go along with eight points.
- Middlebury featured a balanced offensive output with six different players scoring at least seven points.
- The programs played for the 25th meeting on Tuesday in an all-time series that began in 1938.
The Panthers return to action this weekend when they take part in the Great Lakes Invitational hosted by Wittenberg. Middlebury will start play on Friday with a 5:30 p.m. contest against Redlands.
