Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information
Both Stories to Follow:
MIDDLEBURY — The third-ranked Middlebury men improved to 13-0 on the season with a 99-60 win over Plattsburgh State on Tuesday night in Pepin Gym. The Panthers open NESCAC play on Friday when they visit 15th-ranked Amherst. The Cardinals (4-5) return to action on the same night when they host Geneseo at 7:30 p.m.
Middlebury jumped out to a huge start, holding a 19-2 lead on a three from Perry DeLorenzo with 14:06 on the clock. Jack Farrell sparked the run with a hoop and a pair of threes for eight points.
Plattsburgh scored the next seven points to cut the advantage to 19-9, before the Panthers answered with the next 11 points to go up 30-9 with 7:39 remaining in the first half. Farrell netted 9-11 points during the run. The lead grew to as many as 22 with the hosts taking a 46-24 advantage into the break.
Middlebury opened the second half with seven-straight points, including a three-pointer by Ryan Cahill to put his team up 53-24 just 1:11 in. The margin remained at 20 or more, with the Panthers closing the contest on a 13-4 run to make it a 99-66 final.
Farrell improved on his 16.3 ppg average with a game-high 25 points to go along with five steals and four assists. Max Bosco finished with 15 points, while Tommy Eastman recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards. Charley Moore added a career-best nine points in the victory.
Axel Rodriguez paced Plattsburgh with 15 points, while Erik Salo added a dozen.
Middlebury shot 49.3 percent from the floor in the game and held a 39-33 rebounding edge. The game marked the fourth time this season the Panthers have scored 90 or more points, with a season-high 99. Fourteen different players entered the scoring column for Middlebury.
MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury women’s basketball team used a key 16-3 run to start the fourth quarter, as the Panthers pulled away from visiting Plattsburgh State 65-55 on Tuesday. Middlebury (10-2) opens NESCAC play on Friday, hosting fourth-ranked Amherst at 7:00 p.m., while the Cardinals (4-5) entertain SUNY Geneseo the same day at 5:30 p.m.
The hosts got off to a strong start, racing out to a 7-2 lead with less than two minutes expired. A traditional three-point play by Kamryn You Mak and layups by Betsy Knox and Maya Davis accounted for the points. The Cardinals knotted the contest at 11-11 on a three pointer by Theresa Quinn, before Hanna Whitney and Middlebury’s Lily Kuntz traded threes late in the frame, as the Panthers led 22-17 after 10 minutes of play.
Middlebury started the second stanza with a 14-4 run, ballooning the lead to 36-21 on field goal by Alyna Baharozian. The Cardinals closed out the opening half with an 8-0 burst, making the difference to 36-29 at the break on a layup at the buzzer by Kelly Degnan.
Out the break, the visitors chipped away at the Panther lead, creeping back to within three points (40-37) on a basket in the paint from Taylor Durnin. Plattsburgh State took its first lead of the contest with 3:52 on the clock when Ly’rell Walker sank a jumper for a 43-42 edge. The Cardinals took their biggest lead at 48-44 late in the stanza, before two free throws by Davis brought the hosts to within a pair with one quarter remaining.
In the final frame, Middlebury received a runner in the lane by Baharozian and two field goals from Knox for a 52-48 cushion. A trey by Whitney pulled the Cardinals to 52-51 with 7:47 remaining, but they were then held scoreless for the next 6:43 The hosts put together another nice 10-0 run to gain some separation, extending the lead to 62-51. Five different players contributed points burst, before closing out the 65-55 win.
Middlebury’s defense was stellar over the final 10 minutes, limiting the visitors to only 12.5 percent (2-16) from the floor.
Knox recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while blocking two shots, eclipsing 100 for her career (101). Davis chipped in with 15 points and nine boards, while Kuntz netted nine point. Kira Waldman had a balanced performance with six points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Durnin paced the Cardinals with 16 points, while Mya Smith and Walker each scored eight. Taylor Clare led Plattsburgh State with 10 boards.
Middlebury shots 42.5 percent (25-59), while holding the Cardinals to 32.8 percent (20-61). The Panthers held a 42-32 edge on the glass. The hosts were also a perfect 10-10 from the foul line.