Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

JOHNSON — Fifth-ranked Middlebury improved to 6-0 on the season with an 87-77 road win at Northern Vermont-Johnson (2-5) on Tuesday night. The Panthers return to action on Sunday when they visit Endicott with a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.

Middlebury jumped out to a 10-2 start behind threes from Max Bosco and Griffin Kornaker. Leading 30-24, the Panthers went on a 12-2 run, extending the lead to 42-26 at the 2:34 mark on a layup from Ryan Cahill. Middlebury later took a 46-32 lead into the halftime break.

The Panthers went on a 7-2 spurt at the 14:40 mark of the second session, going up 64-44 on a bucket from Bosco.

The Badgers earned a run (13-2) of their own at 11:28, cutting the lead to 68-59 on a basket from Braxton Benvenuti. The Panthers maintained a lead of 10 or more for the remainder of the contest, coming away with the 87-77 victory.

Bosco was one of five Middlebury players in double figures with 16 points, tying a career-high with six assists. Kornaker and Cahill each scored 14, with a career-best five steals from Kornaker. Tommy Eastman netted 13 off the bench with a game-high 12 rebounds. Jack Farrell added a dozen points with six boards.

NVU’s Ayodeji Shokeye led all scorers with 17 points off the bench, Robert Dubose netted 13 with five assists, while Zach Shedd had 12 with eight rebounds.

Middlebury shot 53.7 percent from the floor in the game and held a 36-28 edge on the boards. The Badgers connected on 30-60 attempts from the floor.