Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

ROCHESTER, NY. — Middlebury shot 52.6 percent from the floor knocking down 40-76 shots on its way to a 103-63 thumping of Johnson State (0-5) in the third-place game of the University of Rochester/Holiday Inn Airport Tournament. The Panthers improve to 2-3 for the year and will return to action on Tuesday at Rensselaer.

Middlebury maintained a lead around 10 points for much of the first half, until a 9-3 run at the 4:33 mark gave them a 42-27 advantage with 1:30 left in the half. A pair of dunks Matt Daley sparked the Panther spurt.

Leading 46-29 at the break, Matt St. Amour opened the second half with a three to put his team up by 20. The lead ballooned to 24 on a bucket from Connor Huff, putting the Panthers up 59-35 with 15:23 remaining. Middlebury scored 21 of the game’s final 22 points as it cruised to the 103-63 victory.

Eight Panthers scored eight or more points in the win, led by 17 from St. Amour and 15 from Daley on 7-11 shooting from the floor. Bryan Jones netted 14 off the bench in 11 minutes, while Huff and Zach Baines each scored 10. Nick Tarantino grabbed a gamep-high 12 rebounds, while Daley and Eric McCord each had 10. Jake Brown and Jack Daly dished out six assists apiece, while Daly also had four steals.

Rahim Bunch led Johnson with 15 points, Derek Ashley scored 14, while Amari Moulton chipped in with 12.

Middlebury dominated the boards, holding a 60-20 advantage in the game. The Panthers also scored 28 second-chance points, while holding Johnson to just one. St. Amour was named Middlebury’s representative on the all-tournament team.