The 16th-ranked Middlebury men's basketball team mounted a comeback bid late in the second half, but Nichols was able to hold off the Panthers 73-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Middlebury ends its season with a 20-6 record, while the Bison advance to the NCAA Sectional Semifinals next weekend.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers raced out to a 15-4 lead with 12:50 left in the opening half, highlighted by six points from Alex Sobel.
• The hosts maintained a double-digit advantage over the next six minutes, grabbing a 26-14 lead on a jumper by Edward Witherington with 6:51 remaining.
• Nichols slowly chipped away at the deficit over the rest of the stanza, taking a 33-31 edge into the locker room on a driving layup by Jakigh Dottin as the buzzer sounded.
• The visitors continued that momentum to start the second half, scoring 11 of the initial 15 points for a 44-36 lead, capped on a three-point field goal by Matthew Alectus at the 15:11 mark.
• After a jumper by Charley Moore sliced the Bison advantage to six (48-42) three minutes later, Nichols rattled off seven quick points for a 55-42 advantage.
• Middlebury started to put together its comeback bid, pulling to within 66-62 on a free throw by Sobel with 2:11 left.
• Trading charity tosses over the next two minutes, a layup by Sobel with 10.2 seconds remaining brought the Panthers to within three (69-66). 
• Dottin knocked down four free throws over the waning seconds for the 73-66 final score.

NOTES

• Sobel tallied his sixth double-double in the last eight games and the 39th of his career, pacing all players in points (29) and rebounds (15). He finishes the campaign sprinkling his name in the single-season record books. Sobel's 307 rebounds are the fourth-highest total. The forward also tallied three blocked shots in the contest, giving him 101 to become the third player to surpass 100 in a season. Sobel became just the fourth player to eclipse the 500-point plateau for a season (505). 
• David Brennan pulled down 14 rebounds for the Panthers, marking the 12th time this season he has posted a double-digit total.
• Middlebury made its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and hosted for the first time since 2017.
• The Panthers posted three winning streaks of five or more games, highlighted by an eight-game run toward the latter part of the season.