The #3 Middlebury men's basketball team battled back from a nine-point second half deficit to force overtime against Trinity. Alex Sobel hit a jumper with just 14 seconds remaining to lift the Panthers past the Bantams 65-64.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Trailing 9-5, Middlebury went on a quick 6-0 run to grab an 11-9 edge on a layup by Jackson McKersie with 14:13 left in the opening half.
• Following four quick points by Trinity, the Panthers rattled off a 9-2 spurt for their largest lead of the half (20-15), capped on a pair of free throws by Edward Witherington with 9:50 left.
• Trinity slowly whittled away at the deficit, taking a 23-22 edge three minutes later on a layup by Dana Smith.
• The Bantams maintained small leads over the rest of the half, possessing their largest advantage of the stanza (33-29) following two charity tosses by Will Dorion in the final minute.
• The hosts started the second half scoring 12 of the first 19 points, grabbing their largest lead of the game (45-36) on a three-point field goal by Henry Vetter with 15:41 left.
• The Panthers answered with a 14-4 run spanning the next nine minutes, taking a 50-49 lead on a layup by McKersie with 7:12 showing on the clock.
• Middlebury pulled ahead 57-53 behind a three from Evan Flaks and a free throw by Noah Osher at the 2:38 mark. 
• After a three-pointer by Sean Macarchuk brought Trinity to within one (57-56), Witherington cashed in on a pair of charity tosses for a three-point edge (59-56).
• Macarchuk canned another shot from beyond the arc with 48 seconds remaining, knotting the game at 59-59.
• Both teams locked down defensively on the final possessions for the opposition, before Osher stole the ball on a Bantam drive to send the game to overtime.
• Back-to-back layups by Sobel gave Middlebury a 63-59 lead in the extra frame. 
• Vetter recorded the next five points, knocking down three free throws and a layup, for a 64-63 edge with 1:28 left.
• Following a Panther timeout, Sobel gave Middlebury a 65-64 lead on a nifty up-and-under move through the lane with 14 seconds left.
• Middlebury locked down on the final possession of the game, as Sobel forced a fadeaway baseline jumper by Ben Callahan-Gold off the side of the backboard to secure the thrilling 65-64 win.

NOTES

• Sobel's 14 rebounds moved him into third place in the program's career record books, giving him 763 boards. He also finished with 10 points for his fifth double-double in the last seven games and also tallied two blocked shots.
• McKersie ended his night with a career-best 11 points.
• Saturday's contest was the 71st meeting between the two programs, as Middlebury has won the last two in overtime (82-77 in 3OT last winter).