The fourth-seeded Middlebury men's basketball team battled fifth-seeded Tufts through two overtimes, but the Jumbos came up with the 89-80 win. With the loss, the Panthers are idle next weekend as they must wait to learn their fate when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced on February 27. Tufts advances to the NESCAC Semifinals where it faces second-seeded Hamilton on Saturday.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The entire first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to gain a sizable lead. Middlebury took a 10-6 edge at the 14:34 mark on a shot from beyond the arc by Evan Flaks.
• Knotted at 11-11, the Panthers recorded a 6-2 burst, capped by a layup from Sam Stevens, to give Middlebury a 17-13 edge just over halfway through the stanza.
• An 8-3 spurt over a five-minute span gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the half (29-22) with 4:25 to go.
• Tufts rattled off 10 unanswered points to take a 32-39 advantage with just four ticks left on the clock.
• A last-second jumper by Jackson McKersie cut the deficit to one (32-31) at the intermission.
• The opening 10 minutes of the second half saw multiple lead changes and ties. Knotted at 50-50 with 10:12 remaining in regulation, the Jumbos tallied nine-consecutive points to take a 59-50 lead at the 6:21 mark.
• Middlebury chipped away at the deficit, cutting the lead down to three (64-61) on a shot from beyond the arc by Edward Witherington with 1:52 left on the clock. 
• A free throw by Tufts' Carson Cohen with 37 seconds left gave the Jumbos a 65-61 advantage.
• A layup from Jaden Bobbet put the Panthers within striking distance (65-63) with nine ticks left on the clock. Alex Sobel grabbed a rebound on a missed Middlebury free throw and got fouled in the process. Sobel converted both charity tosses with six seconds left, knotting the game at 65 points apiece and sending it into overtime.
• The first extra session was not enough to decide a winner, seeing three ties before forcing a second overtime stanza with a deadlock at 71-71.
• Tied 74-74, Tufts went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three from Dylan Thoerner with 1:45 left, to take an 81-74 lead. 
• A pair of free throws by David Brennan cut the deficit down to five, but it wasn't enough as the Jumbos went six-for-six at the charity stripe in the final seconds to secure the 89-80 win. 

NOTES

• Sobel moved into the 12th spot on Middlebury's all-time scoring list, tallying 16 points during the game for a total of 1,180 in his career. His nine rebounds also moved him into third place on the all-time boards list, as the senior now has 789 in his career. 
• The Panthers suffered their only loss in Pepin Gymnasium this season, as Middlebury is 25-3 over the last three seasons.