2008 Woodie Awards
Panthers pay the price at the free-throw line
Jeff Klein
Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: Sports
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Four consecutive road games. A record-breaking win. There were many reasons for the Middlebury men's basketball team to be revved up for its home opener against Rensselaer in Pepin Gymnasium last Thursday night.
How much were the Panthers looking forward to finally stepping onto their home floor?
"For me the first home game is always the most exciting," said Andrew Harris '08, who led all scorers with 21 points, including four three-point baskets. "When you have supportive fans like ours, it is so much easier to come out with a lot of intensity."
Evan Thompson '07 offered a candid response: "After being heckled by fans from other schools the past few games, it was nice to finally hear our own fans heckling the other team," he said. Thompson scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the game. "There's no place like the Pepin Palace."
The Panthers may have been ready to jump all over RPI, but a decisive 8-0 run by the Red Hawks late in the game pushed the game out of reach for the Panthers, who were defeated by a 69-64 margin. As in Middlebury's loss to St. Lawrence earlier in the season, in which the Panthers were plagued by a 17-0 Saints run in the second half after having led by six, the team played well in spurts but could not display the consistency necessary to win the game.
Energized by the Middlebury faithful, the Panthers roared out to an early 10-2 lead, holding Rensselaer scoreless for the first four minutes and 53 seconds of the game. Although the Red Hawks would briefly take the lead in the first half, two back-to-back threes by Harris sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave Middlebury a 33-28 lead heading into halftime.
"For me there is no greater thrill than hitting a momentous three pointer and hearing the crowd erupt as I run back on defense," said Harris. "You definitely remember the cheers of the fans from your previous shot and it instills a lot of confidence on your next shot. Shooting is all about confidence and playing in front of a home crowd can give you the energy and confidence it takes to shoot well."
How much were the Panthers looking forward to finally stepping onto their home floor?
"For me the first home game is always the most exciting," said Andrew Harris '08, who led all scorers with 21 points, including four three-point baskets. "When you have supportive fans like ours, it is so much easier to come out with a lot of intensity."
Evan Thompson '07 offered a candid response: "After being heckled by fans from other schools the past few games, it was nice to finally hear our own fans heckling the other team," he said. Thompson scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the game. "There's no place like the Pepin Palace."
The Panthers may have been ready to jump all over RPI, but a decisive 8-0 run by the Red Hawks late in the game pushed the game out of reach for the Panthers, who were defeated by a 69-64 margin. As in Middlebury's loss to St. Lawrence earlier in the season, in which the Panthers were plagued by a 17-0 Saints run in the second half after having led by six, the team played well in spurts but could not display the consistency necessary to win the game.
Energized by the Middlebury faithful, the Panthers roared out to an early 10-2 lead, holding Rensselaer scoreless for the first four minutes and 53 seconds of the game. Although the Red Hawks would briefly take the lead in the first half, two back-to-back threes by Harris sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave Middlebury a 33-28 lead heading into halftime.
"For me there is no greater thrill than hitting a momentous three pointer and hearing the crowd erupt as I run back on defense," said Harris. "You definitely remember the cheers of the fans from your previous shot and it instills a lot of confidence on your next shot. Shooting is all about confidence and playing in front of a home crowd can give you the energy and confidence it takes to shoot well."
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