Men's basketball in uncharted territory as team earns 20th win

Author: Jeff Klein

The victories keep piling up. Records keep being broken. And people are taking notice.

Taking on two of its more challenging NESCAC foes from Maine, the Middlebury men's basketball team continued its torrid play by defeating Bowdoin 62-50 on Friday night and Colby 78-73 the following afternoon in Pepin Gymnasium.

With the win over Colby, the Panthers set a school record by earning their 20th victory of the season. Their current 16-game winning streak is the longest in school history and at 6-0, Middlebury is now the only undefeated team in NESCAC play.

As a result of their remarkable play, the Panthers have steadily moved up the ranks. Three weeks ago, they cracked the NCAA Division III Top 25 Rankings for the first time ever. A week later, Middlebury moved up to 19th, last week was ranked 16th, and this week, the 25-member panel that determines the rankings voted Middlebury the 13th-ranked team in the country.

"We have such a great bunch of guys on this team and we have worked so hard to get to this point," said Kyle Dudley '09. "We worked hard over the summer and fall and a lot of that hard work is paying off."

Against Bowdoin, the Panthers came out of the gate strong and quickly established an 11-4 lead. A pair of free throws by Ben Rudin '09 gave Middlebury an 18-9 lead at the 11:08 mark.

However, Bowdoin was eager to show that it belonged on the court with Middlebury, and the Polar Bears responded with a 10-0 run to grab a 19-18 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. But that would be their only lead of the game. A three from Tim Edwards '09.5 restored the advantage for the Panthers, and Ryan Sharry '12 connected on a buzzer beater to send the home team into the halftime break with a 32-27 lead.

Coming out of intermission, Middlebury gained momentum with a 5-0 spurt, increasing its lead to nine. A three by Dudley extended the Panthers' lead to 11 with 9:27 remaining, but the Polar Bears responded with an 8-3 run to close within six with just 4:31 left in the game. However, a 6-0 run by Middlebury restored a 12-point lead at the 2:35 mark, sealing the win for the Panthers.

The following afternoon, the Panthers were locked in a contest with the Colby Mules, knowing that a win would give them their record-breaking 20th victory of the season. Colby had had two players - Artie Cutrone and Adam Choice - earn at least a share of NESCAC Player of the Week for the previous three weeks, but that was not going to deter the Panthers from making history.

With the game tied at eight Middlebury went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-10 lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half. Colby got back into the game with back-to-back three pointers by Justin Sherman, but the Panthers closed the half with a 5-0 run to take a 37-29 lead into intermission.

In the second half, Middlebury expanded its lead to 49-33, aided by two threes from hot-shooting Dudley, who was four-for-five from three-point land on the afternoon.

Colby was determined to get back in the game, but serious foul trouble impeded the Mules' effort, as top scorers Choice and Michael Russell fouled out with just under seven minutes left. The Mules came within seven and then resorted to fouling with just over two minutes remaining. Middlebury was clutch from the line, going eight for 10, which secured the five-point victory.

"We did a great job of defending two very physical teams," said Aaron Smith '09 of the weekend's victories. "When both teams kept fighting back and cutting down our lead, we did a very nice job keeping our composure and coming away with the win."

Having secured the team's 20th win, the Panthers felt a great deal of satisfaction in their latest accomplishment. For the seniors, it is a sign of their progress, maturity, and hard work since they began their Middlebury careers.

"It is an awesome feeling to have 20 wins," said Dudley. "It shows how much this program has improved since my freshman year. We believe in each other and we are so unselfish. The coaching staff has been terrific and really pushed us to work harder."

Still, Middlebury's work is not nearly complete. The Panthers finish up the regular season on the road against perennial NESCAC powerhouse Amherst, a game that will serve as a true measuring stick for the Middlebury squad.

"Amherst is a great team," said Dudley. "We are going to have to be at our best to beat them and work harder than them. I think it comes down to our defense. They have a lot of talented offensive players and we need to defend them for 40 minutes."

According to Rudin, Middlebury must first focus on Trinity, whom the Panthers face the night prior to their showdown with Amherst. "While [Trinity's] record is not as impressive as other teams," said Rudin, "they are a very talented team that is capable of beating anyone if not taken seriously."

"As for the Amherst game, we will be heading into that match-up as a confident team expecting to win," Rudin continued. "For the first time in my four years playing them, we are the more experienced team. If we play our game and buckle down on the defensive end, as we have been doing all year, we should come out on the winning end."

This coming Saturday's contest against Amherst will certainly be crucial, yet the Panthers have one goal that sticks out above the rest. As Smith puts it, "Our goal from the beginning was to win a championship. We won't be satisfied with our season until that happens."