The Middlebury men's basketball team shot 65.6 percent from the floor during Friday's first half, including 12-of-15 from three-point range, cruising to a 99-87 triumph in the second game of the Middlebury Invitational. During the win, Sam Stevens eclipsed the 1,000-career point plateau.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Knotted at 7-7 with 17:39 remaining, Middlebury ripped off a 10-0 spurt over 1:59 capped by a driving layup from Stevens for a 17-7 edge.
• Vassar worked its way back into the contest with Shea Fitzgerald converting a layup off a feed from Sebastian Medina to cut the deficit to a pair (22-20) at the 11:27 mark.
• The Brewer run did not hamper the Middlebury momentum as a Tristan Joseph three-point field goal sprung a 21-6 surge for a 43-26 lead with 5:35 remaining. Joseph (six), Evan Flaks (five) and Stevens (five) combined for 17 of the 21 points. 
• Fitzgerald continued to be the hot hand for Vassar by tallying his 20th point of the half on a tough drive through the paint to slice the deficit to single digits (45-36) at the 3:04 mark.
• The Panthers mustered a final push to close the opening stanza. Edward Witherington nailed two three-pointers and tacked on a turnaround jumper to increase the lead to 57-41 heading into the locker room.
• The Brewers tallied the initial five points of the second frame on a shot from beyond the arc from Fitzgerald and a bucket by Nathan Denham to pull within 11 (57-46) with 54 seconds expired.
• The hosts responded with 19 of the next 29 points, grabbing a 20-point advantage (76-56) on a free throw by Kuba Cwalina with 13:17 left.
• Vassar whittled away at the deficit, drawing to within 85-80 on a step-back jumper from Avery Lee at the 4:44 mark.
• Middlebury answered with a decisive 8-0 run spanning the next 1:47 of action, fueled by seven points from David Brennan, for a 93-80 edge.
• The visitors tallied the ensuing five points on a three by Fitzgerald and a pair of charity tosses from Denham, but the Panthers posted six of the last eight points over the waning minutes for a 99-87 victory. 

NOTES

• Stevens tallied 24 points, including 17 in the first half, becoming the 28th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. He also hit the 20-point plateau for the 17th time in a Middlebury uniform.
• Witherington earned his first double-double with career highs in points (23) and rebounds (11).
• Joseph concluded the contest with 17 points, five rebounds, a career-high five helpers and three steals.
• The Panthers tallied a season-best 28 assists, the most since January 1, 2019. Flaks dished out a team-leading seven.
• Brennan pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds in the triumph, marking the fourth Panther to surpass the 800-rebound total (812).
• The meeting was the first between the schools in men's basketball.

The Panthers are back in action on Saturday when they square off with Saint Joseph's (Maine) in the championship game with a scheduled start time of 5:00 p.m. Vassar and SUNY Cortland play in the consolation contest at 3:00 p.m.