Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury coupled a balanced scoring output with a stout defensive effort, limiting Trinity to just 15 first-half points, during a 75-38 victory over the Bantams (13-7, 2-4) Sunday in Pepin Gymnasium. The Panthers (15-5, 4-2) return to action on Friday when they travel to Bowdoin for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff, while Trinity plays at Wesleyan at the same time.
Ahead 15-12 with exactly 10:00 left in the opening half, the Panthers rattled off the next 16 points for a 31-12 lead. Middlebury held Trinity without a point for a stretch of 9:40, limiting the Bantams to 0-11 shooting from the floor and three turnovers during the span. Donald Jorden ended the scoreless streak for the visitors on a three-point play with 20 seconds left before the halftime break, pulling the Bantams to within 16 (31-15). The hosts answered when Eric McCord cashed in a three-point opportunity of his own, sending Middlebury to a 34-15 edge at the break.
Following halftime, the Panthers started the stanza on a 19-2 run, grabbing a 53-17 advantage on a three-point field goal from Joey Leighton with 14:03 left. Middlebury maintained a 30-plus point lead over the remainder of the contest, increasing the advantage to as many as 37 (73-36) on a dunk by Alex Sobel with 1:33 remaining and cruised to the win.
Max Bosco paced the balanced Panther output with 15 points and five assists, while Matt Folger added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a game-best four blocked shots and three steals. McCord and Griffin Kornaker chipped in with nine points apiece, while Jack Farrell and Leighton each tacked on eight points. Sobel corralled eight rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.
Jorden led the visitors with 11 points, while Connor Merinder had eight points and five rebounds. Nick Seretta ended the game with a team-high six rebounds, while Kyle Padmore produced three blocks.
Middlebury limited the Bantams to just 22.4 percent (13-58) from the floor and 21.1 percent (4-19) from beyond the arc.