Alex Sobel had 31 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks to lead No. 11 Middlebury past no. 4 Keene State 86-82 in a back-and-forth battle between two nationally ranked teams.
A 3-pointer from Noah Osher and two consecutive blocks by Sobel in the final 10 seconds proved to be the difference, as the Panthers earned the 86-82 road win. With the victory, the visitors snapped the hosts’ 15-game unbeaten streak and handed the Owls their first loss of the season.
The highlights follow, in bullet point form.
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| Middlebury athletics file photo |
HIGHLIGHTS
- Middlebury jumped out to an early 17-8 advantage, capped by a dunk from Sobel after just 4:52 played. Sobel opened the game with eight of the team’s first 17 points.
- The Panthers continued to add to their lead and at the 11:55 mark, Jaden Bobbett nailed a 3-pointer to take a 27-16 edge.
- Keene State answered with a 13-4 run over the next 4:30, cutting the deficit to just two (31-29) following a pair of free throws from Nate Siow.
- The Owls looked to grab their first lead of the evening, but Sobel denied them the opportunity, scoring on four of the next five trips down the floor to maintain Middlebury’s lead.
- With 1:29 remaining, Evan Flax sank a shot from beyond the arc to give the Panthers a four-point advantage (46-42), which they would take into the halftime break.
- Keene State took the lead for the first time at the 16:41 mark of the second stanza. Octavio Brito connected on a three to give the Owls a 51-50 edge.
- Middlebury responded with a 9-2 run, capped by another Flaks 3-pointer at the 13:50 mark to give the Panthers a 59-53 advantage.
- With the Panthers leading 62-57 at the 12:40 mark, the Owls went on an 11-1 run to take a 68-63 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
- Knotted at 72-72, both teams continued to trade baskets, but a jumper from Siow gave Keene State a four-point advantage (82-78) with just 1:55 left in the game.
- Trailing 82-81 with 40 seconds to go, Noah Osher drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give Middlebury an 84-82 edge.
- With under 10 seconds, the Owls had two opportunities to tie the game, but Sobel blocked back-to-back layup attempts to stun Keene State and seal the 86-82 victory.
NOTES
- Sobel put together a banner night. He poured in a career-best 31 points, while pulling down 16 rebounds and recording six assists and five blocks.
- Flaks also registered a career-high with 16 points in the victory, knocking down four 3-pointers.
- David Brennan scored 11 points to go along with 13 boards to claim his third double-double of the season.