Men’s Hoops: Panthers Outgun Endicott 101-96

Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury utilized a 20-4 run spanning 4:20 of action en route to a thrilling 101-96 victory over Endicott Sunday in Pepin Gymnasium. The 17th-ranked Panthers (3-0) return to action on Tuesday evening when they travel to Morrisville State at 5:30 p.m., while the Gulls (4-1) host Curry on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

In a first half that had 11 lead changes and five ties, Middlebury moved out to a 15-9 edge on a three-point field goal by Griffin Kornaker with 14:37 left. Endicott rattled off an 11-4 run over 2:50, capped by a three from Kyle Henderson for a 20-19 edge with 11:47 remaining. The Gulls gained their largest advantage of the contest at 45-38 on a three by Keith Brown with 4:40 showing on the clock. The Panthers answered with 11 of the game’s next 16 points, pulling to within one at 50-49 on a three by Kornaker with just over a minute left. A layup by Middlebury’s Alex Sobel just before the buzzer drew the hosts to within a pair at 55-53.

The opening half saw Middlebury knock down 65.6 percent of its shots (21-32) from the floor and 57.1 percent (8-14) from three-point range, while Endicott sink 50 percent (19-38) of its shots, including 52 percent (13-25) from three-point range.

During a back-and-forth start to the second half, Middlebury grabbed a 70-63 advantage at the 13:42 mark on a jumper from Sobel. The Gulls rattled off the next 10 points, capped by a three from Matt McDevitt, for a 73-70 edge with 10:38 remaining. Middlebury put together its decisive run, including 11 points from Matt Folger, for a 90-77 lead on a tip-in by Eric McCord with 5:25 left. Endicott scored six points on a pair of threes from Brown for the final 101-95 score.

The Panthers landed five players in double figures, including career-best marks of 26 points and 15 rebounds from Folger. Kornaker added career-high 19 points on 7-10 shooting, including 16 markers in the opening half, to go along with six assists. Perry DeLorenzo finished with a career-high 16 points, including a trio of threes, while Farrell chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds. Max Bosco had 11 points and five helpers off the bench, while McCord pulled down 13 rebounds to go along with seven points in the victory.

Kyle Henderson led Endicott with 26 points to go along with six rebounds, while McDevitt had 23 points with seven threes and Brown added 20 points and six boards.

Middlebury held a 47-32 rebounding advantage and a 48-22 edge in points in the paint. The Panthers finished the game shooting 57.7 percent (41-71) from the field, while limiting the Gulls to 42.5 percent (31-73), including just 34.3 percent (12-35) after the halftime break.