The Middlebury men's basketball team staved off a furious second-half comeback attempt by Lasell on Friday evening, knocking down four free throws in the final eight seconds to secure a 102-96 victory. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Deadlocked at 11-11, the Panthers ripped off a 17-4 run spanning 7:03 of first-half action for a 28-15 advantage. Evan Flaks connected from three-point range to cap the stretch. 
• Middlebury continued its offensive surge after a Laser free throw, outpacing the opposition 25-13 over the next six minutes. The Panthers grabbed their largest lead of the contest at 53-29 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Ian Murray with 1:44 remaining.
• Lasell ended the half with seven of the final nine points. Each point for the visitors was scored by Esmer Madesko for a 55-36 score at the break.
• The Panthers maintained a near 20-point advantage over the initial minutes of the second half, making it a 68-48 contest with 15:04 left on a shot from beyond the arc by Dominick Ducree.
• The Lasers methodically chipped away at the lead, rattling off a 24-7 run covering the next 6:09 of play. Esmer Madesko concluded the surge with a twirling layup that brought the visitors to within three (75-72).
• The sides traded small runs before a bucket from Andy Madesko pulled Lasell to within two (84-82) with 5:27 showing on the clock.
• Middlebury answered with nine of the next 12 points, moving ahead 93-85 at the 2:33 mark on a pair of charity tosses from Kuba Cwalina.
• Two free throws from Flaks gave the Panthers a 97-90 edge with 41 seconds to play. 
• Caden Arnold manufactured a four-point swing, netting a layup and two makes from the line to bring Lasell within three (97-94) with 23 ticks left.
• Flaks was fouled and converted a free throw before Hanks raced down the floor and scored to make it 98-96 with nine seconds remaining.
• Middlebury stepped to the line and made its four shots from the stripe to earn the thrilling 102-96 triumph.

NOTES

• Cwalina finished with a game-high 22 points, including 13 in the second half. Flaks added 20 and tied his career-best output with five threes. 
• Mark Newell had a near double-double with eight points and 10 boards for the Panthers. Murray concluded a nice all-around effort with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
• Middlebury surpassed the 100-point plateau for the first time since January 15, 2019, a 103-92 victory against Albertus Magnus. 
• The game was the initial matchup between the schools in men's basketball.

Middlebury returns to competition on Tuesday when it travels to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for a 6:00 p.m. contest.