The Middlebury men's basketball team went back and forth with Skidmore in its season opener on Friday, but the Thoroughbreds held on for a 91-87 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tied at 9-9 early on, Skidmore tallied back-to-back buckets from Jack LaGarde for a 13-9 edge with 14:43 left.
• Kuba Cwalina provided a spark for the visitors after LaGarde's spurt. His three-point field goal with 10:58 on the clock capped a 9-6 surge to push Middlebury to an 18-17 advantage.
• The Thoroughbreds countered the Panther run. A Charlie Weisberg shot from beyond the arc swelled into nine consecutive points, creating a 26-18 lead at the 8:12 mark.
• The visitors chipped away at the deficit. A layup and three-pointer by Ian Murray bookended 12 of the next 19 points for the guests to make it 33-30 with 4:31 left in the opening half.
• Skidmore posted 10 of the final 17 markers in the stanza, taking a 43-37 edge into halftime on a free throw by Fumani Sithole.
• The Panthers came out with some positive momentum to open the second half. Sawyer Ramey and Murray combined for 12 of the team's 17 points, as the visitors rattled off a 17-5 spurt to grab a 54-48 lead.
• The hosts answered with a three-pointer by Jacob Gooden, sparking a 16-7 burst to give the hosts a 64-61 edge and forcing a stoppage with 10:42 remaining.
• The cat-and-mouse game ramped up for both sides, with neither team gaining a lead of more than a possession until a shot behind the arc from Charlie Fantom propelled the Thoroughbreds ahead by an 80-76 margin at the 4:25 mark.
• Skidmore stretched its lead to five on another three from Fantom with 3:16 on the clock to make it 83-78. 
• Middlebury continued to keep it close as Cwalina trimmed the deficit to a pair (89-87) with 14 ticks remaining.
• The hosts headed to the free-throw line and missed both attempts, but a Panther turnover on the ensuing possession gave the ball back to the Thoroughbreds. Aidan Roy converted his charity tosses to seal the 91-87 victory.

NOTES

• Murray had a career night for Middlebury, tallying 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. It marks the sixth-straight season opener that a Panther has had 20 or more points.
• Edward Witherington added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Cwalina had 16 with five made buckets.
• The Panthers and Thoroughbreds met for the 42nd time.

Middlebury hits the court for its home opener against Union on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. from Pepin Gymnasium.