The Middlebury men's basketball team hung with Tufts in the early stages of Saturday afternoon's contest, but a late first-half run by the Jumbos propelled the hosts to an 82-60 triumph.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Tufts started the contest with a 7-0 run, capped by a layup by Joshua Bernstein with 1:37 elapsed.
• The Jumbos continued to extend their advantage, moving into a 14-6 lead on a free throw by Bobby Stewart with 14:18 showing on the clock.
• The Panthers responded with a 12-4 burst to level the contest at 18-18 on a three-point field goal from Noah Osher with 9:35 to go.
• Tufts answered with a 10-0 spurt of its own, as James Morakis sank a three with 5:26 remaining to give the hosts a 28-18 advantage.
• The teams traded baskets over the final five minutes of the first half. Trailing 36-25, Osher drilled a shot from beyond the arc with 30 seconds to go before a driving layup by Jon Medley gave the Jumbos a 38-28 halftime lead.
• Leading 44-34, Tufts reeled off a quick 7-0 run over the next two minutes, grabbing a 51-34 advantage on an old-fashioned three-point play by Morakis with 15:03 left.
• Middlebury cut the deficit to 13 (66-53) on a layup by David Brennan with 6:42 showing on the clock.
• That is as close as the visitors got for the remainder of the contest, as Tufts pulled away for the 82-60 victory.

NOTES

• Osher finished with a team-best 19 points, giving him 1,100 for his career. He moves up three spots into 16th place on the program's all-time scoring list. 
• Kuba Cwalina came off the Middlebury bench to post a double-digit scoring total for the second-straight contest, finishing with 12 points and adding a pair of steals.
• The programs played for the 65th time on Saturday in the all-time series that began in 1925.

The Panthers are back in action on Monday when they host #6 Keene State at 7:00 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium.