The #21 Middlebury men's basketball team closed out first-semester action at the UAA Challenge on Sunday, falling to host #22 Carnegie Mellon 80-75.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• A three-pointer by Justin Allen just 15 seconds into the contest sparked an 11-4 run for the Tartans.
• Carnegie Mellon continued to increase its advantage, leading by as many as 14 points (33-19) on a pair of free throws from Allen with 5:46 remaining in the half.
• The Panthers responded, cutting the lead down to single digits on a last-second jumper from Evan Flaks for the 38-29 score at the break.
• Middlebury came out strong to start the second half, rattling off seven of the initial nine points to slice the Tartan advantage to four (40-36) at the 17:54 mark.
• Trailing 47-40 with 16:20 remaining, the Panthers went on an 11-4 run, capped by a fastbreak layup from Sam Stevens, to knot the contest at 51 points apiece.
• Carnegie Mellon answered with an 11-4 spurt of its own, capped by a shot from beyond the arc by Allen for the 62-55 lead at the 7:53 mark.
• Middlebury would not back down, rattling off seven of the next nine points, including an old-fashioned three-point play from Edward Witherington, to slice the advantage to a pair (64-62) with 6:30 remaining.
• The Tartans responded with a 10-2 burst, jumping back out to a double-digit lead (74-64) with 1:33 left on the clock.
• The Panthers made a final push, including threes from Stevens and Flaks, before fouling down the stretch, but it wasn't enough. 
• Carnegie Mellon converted six-of-eight from the charity stripe to secure the 80-75 win. 

NOTES

• Stevens paced the squad in scoring with 20 points, while David Brennan led the way with 10 boards and four steals.
• This marked the second meeting between the programs as the series deadlocks at 1-1.

Middlebury returns to action on Monday, December 30 hosting Brandeis at 2:00 p.m.