Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury’s Jack Daly became the school’s all-time assists leader, as the sixth-ranked Panthers (18-3, 7-1) pulled away in the second half for a 75-56 win over Colby (10-12, 1-7). The victory was the 10th straight for Middlebury, which returns to action on Tuesday at SUNY Canton. The Mules return to the court next Friday when they host Wesleyan.

Daly finished the game with eight assists, breaking his own single-season record set a year ago (183) with 184. His 558 career helpers surpass Jake Wolfin ’13, who earned 553 from 2010-2013. He currently leads the nation with 8.8 assists/game.

Middlebury jumped out to a 6-0 lead early and later led 10-7 on a layup from Daly at the 14:39 mark. Colby responded with a 10-3 run, capped by a dunk from Dean Weiner on a dish by Sam Jefferson, taking a 17-13 advantage with 9:12 remaining. With the game tied at 24-24 with just over five minutes remaining, the Panthers went on a 7-0 spurt, going up 31-24 with 2:59 on the clock. The Mules chipped away, cutting the lead to 35-33 at the half on a late three from Pat Dickert.

The second half was all Middlebury, as the Panthers outscored the Mules 32-6 in the first 11:41 of play, taking a 67-39 lead on a three from Hilal Dahleh. The Panther defense held Colby to 2-14 shooting during the stretch, forcing seven turnovers.

Colby chipped away over the next four minutes, cutting the lead to 19 (71-52) on a three from Devaughn Riley with 4:09 remaining but that’s as close as they’d come. Middlebury shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, cruising to the 75-56 win.

Daly led all scorers with 14 points, Matt Folger netted 10, while Adisa Majors scored nine with seven rebounds. Jack Farrell added eight points, while Nick Tarantino finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Eric McCord finished with six points and a game-high 10 rebounds off the bench.

Jefferson led Colby with 13 points, while Weiner and Matt Hanna each scored eight.