The #21 Middlebury men's basketball team mounted a furious second-half comeback attempt on Saturday against #3 Emory, but the Eagles tallied key free throws down the stretch for a 78-65 triumph. Carnegie Mellon is hosting a pod of four teams this weekend as part of the tournament, while Tufts is hosting another group of four schools.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Emory raced out to a quick 7-0 lead over the initial 2:20 of the opening half, including five points from Jair Knight.
• The Panthers answered with a seven-point spurt covering three minutes of action, knotting the contest on a three-point shot by Kuba Cwalina.
• The Eagles responded with a 17-2 run over 5:14 of play, highlighted by six from Ethan Fauss, for a 24-9 advantage with 9:26 left.
• Emory maintained a double-digit lead over the remainder of the half, pushing it to 20 (41-21) on a three by Knight with 41 ticks left.
• Following the break, Middlebury sliced the deficit to 41-25 on a Mark Newell layup at the 18:41 mark.
• After trading baskets, the Eagles ripped off a 15-5 spurt, gaining their largest lead at 26 (61-35) with 12:04 remaining on a shot from beyond the arc by Fauss.
• The Panthers began their comeback bid, outscoring Emory 28-10 over the next 10:37 of play, moving within eight (71-63) on a three from the right corner by Ian Murray with 1:27 left.
• Middlebury was forced to foul and try to extend the game, but Emory converted five free throws and added a layup for the final 78-65 score.

NOTES

• Cwalina continued his hot stretch, finishing with a career-high 29 points, including six makes from three-point range.
• David Brennan had a nice all-around contest with a game-high tying 10 rebounds alongside six points and four assists. 
• Saturday's game was the first meeting in men's basketball between the schools.

Middlebury wraps up its trip to Pittsburgh when it takes on Carnegie Mellon on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., while the Eagles play in the second game of the day against Bowdoin at 1:00 p.m.