Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

PLATTSBURGH, NY. — Middlebury went back and forth in a tight game with host Plattsburgh State (7-0) on Tuesday evening, but the 10th-ranked Cardinals pulled away in the second half for a 92-83 victory on Tuesday evening. The 18th-ranked Panthers (5-2) return to action on Saturday afternoon when they host Skidmore at 4:00 p.m.

In an opening half that had seven ties and 11 lead changes and with the score tied at 20-20, the Cardinals went on a 10-4 run over a span of 3:07 for a 30-24 lead on a jumper by Nick DeAngelis. The Panthers answered with a quick 8-2 spurt, highlighted by a pair of threes from Max Bosco, for a 32-31 edge with 5:28 showing. After swapping leads, a free throw by Plattsburgh State’s Adam Jaquish with 21 seconds left gave the hosts a 42-41 lead at the halftime break.

Out of the intermission, the Panthers moved out to a 54-50 edge on a layup from Bosco with 14:11 remaining, before a DeAngelis jumper tied the score at 57-57. With Middlebury up 60-59, the Cardinals rattled off an 11-3 run over 2:47 of action, including a pair of threes by DeAngelis, gave the hosts a 70-63 advantage with 8:22 left. Middlebury pulled to within 74-71 on a three by Jack Farrell just under two minutes later, but Plattsburgh State slowly pulled away from the Panthers for the nine-point victory.

Farrell finished with a team-best 27 points to go along with four rebounds and a team-best four assists. Matt Folger posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Bosco had 14 points off the bench for the Panthers. Hilal Dahleh and Eric McCord each concluded the night with seven points and five rebounds, respectively.

Patron led all scorers with 31 points to go along with 12 rebounds for Plattsburgh State, while DeAngelis had 17 points and Isaiah Hill added 12 points. Chris Middleton chipped in with 12 points and eight boards, while Jaquish tallied eight markers and eight caroms.