The Middlebury men's basketball team utilized a 19-6 run spanning 6:47 of Saturday's second half, turning a tight contest into a 90-78 victory over Colby. The win was the third-straight NESCAC triumph for the Panthers and the second of the weekend.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Trailing 6-0 in the high-scoring opening half, the visitors battled back with an 8-2 run highlighted by five points from Noah Osher to tie the contest at 8-8 with 16:27 left.
• Ahead by one point, the Mules reeled off a 10-4 burst spanning 3:09 capped on a three-point field goal by David Stewart for the 29-22 lead.
• Middlebury responded with a 9-2 spurt, regaining the lead 31-30 on a deep three from Kuba Cwalina with 5:28 to go in the half.
• The teams traded small leads over the remainder of the session before a jumper in the waning seconds by Marcos Montiel gave the hosts a 46-44 halftime edge.
• Out of the break, Colby secured five-point leads on three separate occasions in the early minutes of the stanza, with the last coming on a layup from Max Poulton at the 14:48 mark for a 57-52 advantage.
• The Panthers battled back, scoring 11 of the next 15 points for a 63-61 edge on a jumper by Tristan Joseph.
• The Mules took their final lead of the contest (64-63) on a shot from beyond the arc by Lucas Green with 10:01 remaining.
• Middlebury put the game away with its defining run, highlighted by six points each from Osher and Sam Stevens, for an 82-70 lead with 3:14 showing on the clock.
• Colby sliced the deficit to nine (82-73) with three free throws from Poulton, but the Panthers converted 6-of-8 charity tosses in the final minutes to secure the 90-78 victory.

NOTES

• Osher led Middlebury with 24 points, marking the sixth-straight game he has scored in double figures and the seventh time this season that he has surpassed the 20-point plateau.
• Lamine Cisse pulled down a career-best eight rebounds and swiped a career-high three steals.
• David Brennan finished with a nice all-around game with seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.
• Evan Flaks tied his career high dishing out six assists. 
• Mark Newell posted a career-best six points off the bench in just 11 minutes.
• The Panthers handed out 21 assists, marking the fifth time this season the team has surpassed the 20-assist mark.
• The programs played for the 67th time with the Mules holding a 38-29 advantage in the all-time series. Middlebury has won seven of the last eight contests.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday with a 6:00 p.m. home contest against Vermont State University Johnson.