Middlebury's growing winning streak hit 11-straight on Saturday, as the Panthers earned a 78-64 NESCAC road win at Bowdoin. Middlebury (13-2, 4-0) heads to Plymouth State for a non-conference match-up on Tuesday with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.
The Polar Bears (9-6, 0-2) led in the opening minutes, jumping out to a 10-5 advantage following a jumper by Xander Werkman. The Panthers responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by
Sam Stevens with 11:03 on the clock. After the game was tied at 14-14, Middlebury never trailed again. The Panthers led by as many as seven points on several occasions, including at the half when
Thomas Zodda scored in the paint for a 35-28 advantage.
In the second stanza, Middlebury gained some separation early, as
Noah Osher converted a traditional three-point play on the first possession. Bowdoin trimmed the 10-point deficit back to three at 42-39, but a jumper by Osher and two baskets in the paint by
David Brennan put the margin back at nine points (48-39) with 12:12 showing on the clock.
The hosts continued to push, closing the gap to 53-52 on a free throw by Afamdi Achufusi with 6:33 remaining. Middlebury turned the tide back in its favor, going on a 17-4 burst that saw Stevens drain two threes and Osher another for a 70-56 cushion. The Polar Bears never got the difference back to single digits, with Stevens giving the visitors their biggest lead of the game at 76-58 after a pair of free throws in the last 60 seconds. Overall, the Panthers went 6-6 from the charity stripe in the last minute for the 78-64 final.
Osher finished with a career-high 27 points, while Stevens added 23, including five three-pointers. Brennan notched his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 boards, while
Jaden Bobbett dished out a game-high six assists.
Bowdoin had four players score in double figures, led by Taiga Kagitomi's 13 points and Manav Randhawa's 12. Â
Middlebury shot 49.2 percent (30-61) from the floor, while limiting the hosts to only 35.3 percent (24-68).
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