The Middlebury men's basketball team manufactured a 17-3 second-half run and followed minutes later with an 11-2 spurt, turning a back-and-forth tight contest into a 70-56 victory over Amherst on Saturday. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Tied at 4-4, an old-fashioned three-point play from Sam Stevens and a jumper by Kuba Cwalina gave the Panthers a 9-4 advantage with 14:30 left in the opening half. 
• The Mammoths battled back, slicing the lead to one (10-9) on a basket by Johnny McCain.
• Ahead by one (16-15) with 8:20 remaining before halftime, the hosts rattled off a quick 8-0 spurt over the next 1:14, fueled by five points from Noah Osher, for a 24-15 advantage.
• Amherst continued to cut into the deficit, pulling to within two (31-29) on a layup by Marc Garraud just seconds before the halftime break.
• The Mammoths came out of the locker room scoring 11 of the initial 16 points, grabbing a 40-36 edge on a putback layup from Will Scherer with 13:43 left.
• The Panthers responded with the game's decisive run, highlighted by eight points from David Brennan, for a double-digit lead (53-43) with 6:55 showing on the clock.
• The visitors made it a seven-point game on their ensuing possession with a three from Bobby Sommers.
• Middlebury answered with an 11-2 spurt over the next three minutes, capped by a shot from beyond the arc by Tristan Joseph for a 64-48 advantage. 
• The Panthers were never threatened over the remainder of the contest, easing to the 70-56 victory.

NOTES

• Brennan finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 12th of his career. He has posted a double-digit rebounding total in 29 career contests.
• Osher paced Middlebury with 18 points, including 13 in the first half. 
• The programs played for the 77th time with the Mammoths holding a 53-24 advantage in a series that started in 1925. The Panthers have won the last three meetings.

Middlebury returns to action on Friday with a 7:00 p.m. conference contest at Bowdoin.