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(05/09/18 11:16pm)
“To be perfectly honest, given the talent on both teams, I think the match could have gone either way,” said Christina Puccinelli ’19 after the women’s tennis team’s 5–4 loss to Williams back on April 7. “They happened to come out on top this time, but we came away from the match with absolute confidence that we have what it takes to win in the future.”
On Sunday, May 6, the two teams met again, this time in the Nescac championship at the Bay Road Tennis Club in Amherst, Massachusetts. Once again top-seeded Williams (18–0) prevailed, this time by a score of 5–3, to win its third consecutive conference crown over second-seeded Middlebury (14–3).
But Puccinelli’s words rang true once again on Sunday. Despite losing the match and being swept in doubles, the Panthers outscored Williams because all their singles wins came in straight sets, while their losses all went down to the wire, requiring the full three sets to finish.
Trailing the Ephs 3–0 after doubles, the Panthers mounted a comeback, winning the first two singles matches to pull within one. All at once, Middlebury had fought its way back into the contest. Christina Puccinelli ’19 and Maddi Stow ’18 bounced back from first-set losses to win their second sets, and Catherine Blazye ’20 won her first set in dominant fashion, 6–1.
For the second time this season, the match between the conference’s best could have gone either way, but Williams outlasted Middlebury to win its sixth championship in the past eight years, riding its doubles’ dominance to victory even after the Panthers’ surge in singles play.
Going into the playoffs, the Panthers knew they had some work to do in doubles after losing two out of three against Amherst in the last match of the regular season.
“We did not come out as strong as we would have liked in doubles, so this week we are going to focus a lot on our doubles play,” said Katy Hughes ’20 after the Amherst match. “We want to — we must — have a stronger start.”
In their semifinal match against Wesleyan on Saturday, the Panthers came out stronger than they did against Amherst, winning two of three doubles matches — the only loss came to the reigning NCAA doubles champions, Eudice Chong and Victoria Yu, in the first slot.
In fact, just like in Middlebury’s first match against Wesleyan, Chong and Yu were the only Cardinals to score victories on Saturday, as the Panthers controlled the rest of the ladder to win 5–3 and earn a spot in the conference championship match the next day.
Stow and Catherine Blazye ’20 won 8–2 in second doubles, while Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 remained undefeated as a pairing by defeating their opponents 8–6. Blazye, Boehm and Stow all won in straight sets to set up Middlebury’s match with Williams, who shut out Tufts 5–0 in the other semifinal to move into the championship.
Middlebury could not replicate Saturday’s doubles success against Williams on Sunday. The Ephs leapt out to what seemed to be a commanding 3–0 lead for the winners of 30 consecutive matches overall, a streak dating back more than a year to April 8, 2017, when Middlebury beat Williams 6–3.
But then the Panthers made a move of their own. Hughes made a statement by dominating Leah Bush 6–2, 6–0 in second singles. Then Boehm, after trailing 5–2 in the first set of her match with Chloe Henderson in the third slot, rattled off 11 straight games to win in straight sets as well. Both Hughes and Boehm pushed their doubles struggles out of their minds to bring Middlebury back within one match of Williams.
“It is really hard to lose all 3 doubles to a team as good as Williams,” said head coach Rachel Kahan. “But after the doubles points, regardless of who we are playing and what happened in the doubles, our mindset is that the match resets. We look to go out and win all six singles matches.”
Meanwhile, Puccinelli lost her first set 6–1 to Juli Raventos in first singles, as did Stow, 7–6, to Korina Neveux in the sixth slot. But both of them bounced back too, as Stow wasted no time winning her second set 6–1, and Puccinelli came back in her second set to win in a tiebreaker 7–6 (7–5).
Williams regained some hold of the match when Neveux beat Stow in the third set to put Williams one win away from the conference championship. But Blazye countered in fourth singles, winning 6–1, 6–1 over Mia Gancayco to keep Middlebury alive.
Raventos won Sunday’s decisive match, outlasting Puccinelli in a three-set victory, 6–1, 6–7 (5–7), to secure Williams’ third-straight Nescac crown. At that point, Skylar Schossberger ’20 led Julia Cancio 3–0 in the first set of their match, but they stopped when Williams clinched the match.
Since Williams last lost in that match to the Panthers over 13 months ago, the Ephs have won one national title and two conference championships, and will enter this month’s NCAAs 18–0.
But Middlebury inched a little bit closer on Sunday. The Panthers dominated three singles matches, led in a fourth, and lost in three sets in the other two.
“The team fought extremely hard, and I felt the belief that we could win through the whole match,” said Kahan. “Every match with Williams has been close and has come down to a couple of points.”
More than anything else, Sunday’s match demonstrated the fickle nature of sports.
“Once again, the results could have gone either way, and once again we drew the short end of the stick,” Puccinelli said.
She and the rest of the Panthers remain firmly convinced that they can beat Williams and any other of the top teams in the country. Simply viewing Sunday’s match as a loss is a waste of time because of how well Middlebury played.
“My team competed with energy, composer and grit, and I could not be more proud,” said Puccinelli. “We came out with energy and determination, and we did not waver in either throughout the full five-hour battle.”
Not only did the Panthers play extremely good tennis, they did so in the face of adversity after falling into a daunting 3–0 hole.
Middlebury’s full body of work this season is much more representative than one loss. And because of their hugely successful spring, the Panthers will host one of the NCAA Regional brackets, starting today and running to Saturday, May 12. The Panthers have a bye through the first round of the seven-team draw and will play their first match tomorrow. No. 18 Skidmore is the only other ranked team in the regional.
If the Panthers win on Friday and Saturday, they will advance to the quarterfinals which will be held in Claremont, California. The Panthers are one of five Nescac teams in the NCAA tournament, along with Williams, Wesleyan, Amherst and Tufts. And Middlebury and Williams are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning a rematch between the two squads would not come until the national championship.
Middlebury has demonstrated throughout the season it is one of the nation’s top teams, having defeated No. 5 Wesleyan (twice), No. 6 Tufts, No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 8 Amherst, while giving No. 2 Williams two of the biggest challenges the Ephs faced all spring. And it’s become increasingly clear how little separates Middlebury from Williams, and the other two teams ranked ahead of them, No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 1 Emory. CMS beat Middlebury 7–2 on March 30, but that feels like the distant past, given how well the Panthers played in the Nescac.
“I believe that the results in the final rounds will simply come down to who wants it more,” Puccinelli said.
Sunday’s loss stoked the Panthers’ fire even more.
“Each opponent we face from here on out will be determined and resilient, since a loss means the end of a season,” said Puccinelli. “We love the challenge and want the title more than we ever have.”
In 2003, Middlebury qualified for its first NCAA tournament. Two seasons later, the Panthers reached the semifinals of the tournament, but then did not return to that point for another 11 seasons, when they were one of the final four teams in 2016. Last season, Middlebury reached the semifinals again, where Williams beat the Panthers. The Ephs have now beaten the Panthers in four consecutive matches, while CMS has defeated Middlebury six straight times and Emory has knocked them out of the tournament three times since 2013.
To put it lightly, the Panthers want to beat these teams ranked above them. And they have shown they can compete with them. Is now the time for the Panthers to finally conquer the perennially dominant DIII teams?
(05/03/18 11:49pm)
The women’s tennis team continued to roll in their last match of the regular season, when they defeated No. 8 Amherst 6–3 on Saturday, April 28, for their eighth straight victory. Now they turn to the Nescac playoffs, which the Panthers enter as the second seed behind undefeated Williams.
Even with Williams’ dominance this season and in the past, the Panthers firmly believe they can parlay the play that has led to their recent winning streak into the first Nescac championship in program history, avenging a loss to Williams in the process if necessary.
“We are very excited to have a potential Williams rematch,” said Katy Hughes ’20. “We lost in the regular season to Williams 4-5, so we are looking forward to this rematch. However, we are focusing on one match at a time. But if we do play Williams I am confident that we will win.”
Since its loss to Williams on April 7, Middlebury had won seven matches in a row leading up to the Amherst match last Saturday, playing its best tennis of the season to beat Quinnipiac, a DI opponent, No. 18 Skidmore, No. 14 Bowdoin and No. 5 Wesleyan.
Their match on Saturday provided the Panthers one more test before they enter the highly anticipated postseason. Amherst’s 10–6 record this spring was deceiving because the Mammoths had lost their matches to the other six teams ranked in the nation’s top seven besides Middlebury. Their No. 8 ranking spoke to how Amherst stuck with many of the nation’s top teams even though the matches ended up as losses. They lost to No. 1 Emory, No. 2 Williams and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6–3, and No. 6 Tufts and No. 7 Pomona Pitzer 5–4.
The Mammoths leapt ahead of Middlebury on Saturday by taking two of the three doubles matches. Actually, Middlebury’s pair of Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 swarmed Amherst’s No. 3 pair to win the first match of the day 8–2. After Skelly stepped into Christina Puccinelli ’19’s doubles spot in the middle of the season, she and Boehm are a perfect 6–0 in doubles.
“Although losing Puccinelli is definitely hard, Skelly has really stepped up to the task,” Boehm said. “As a first-year she shows no signs of nerves and plays all out. We are definitely now really comfortable with each other’s games and are confident going into the weekend with good results, despite the more recent switch.”
But Amherst’s first two doubles teams outlasted Middlebury’s top two pairs by scores of 8–6 and 8–5 to give the hosts their lead.
The Panthers know they cannot afford to come out flat in the postseason, when it is crucial to be sound up and down the lineup.
“We came out not as strong as would have liked to in doubles,” said Hughes. “This week we are going to focus a lot on our doubles play so we can have a stronger start.”
To win against the Nescac schools and the nation’s best teams, Middlebury must be prepared to pounce on opportunities at any doubles or singles spot.
On Saturday, that happened across the board in singles, where Middlebury took the match over. Maddi Stow ’20 finished first by dominating Avery Wagman 6–2, 6–1 in the sixth slot. Catherine Blazye ’20 followed up her teammate with an equally convincing 6–0, 6–2 win at No. 4, and Skylar Schossberger completed the sweep of the bottom half of the ladder by winning in straight sets, 6–1, 7–6 (7–4).
Ahead 4–2, Boehm clinched the match with her second win of the day in a 6–2, 6–4 victory in the third slot.
These four Panthers have not lost since Middlebury’s last loss, at Williams on Saturday, April 7, combining to go 21–0 in singles since that point to fuel the team’s winning streak.
“We have worked so hard this entire season and are thrilled to see that our efforts are paying off,” said Puccinelli.
Katy Hughes ’20 added one more straight-sets victory, winning 6–2, 6–4 like Boehm, at No. 2 for the Panthers’ fifth singles win on Saturday, before Puccinelli fell at No. 1.
Middlebury is very confident entering Nescacs, and rightfully so, given their play on Saturday and over the last month.
“While we’re still working on individual projects and improving our game on a day-to-day basis, we are all very comfortable with our level of play at this point in the year,” Puccinelli said.
That comfort level has become increasingly apparent over Middlebury’s latest run in Nescac play, which the Panthers attribute to their commitment since last season ended.
“After months of training and perfecting our fitness, we are now just enjoying the level of play that we get to see at practice every day,” said Puccinelli.
Middlebury’s comfort in their play on the court and confidence in themselves emerge in their words. But Hughes is also quick to point out the Panthers must take one match at a time, continuing to practice the way that brought them to this point.
“I believe that all of us are going to work very hard this week on and off the court,” Hughes said. “So we can go into Nescacs feeling confident.”
Middlebury’s confidence is not unfounded: it comes from their success thus far this season, their dedication to improving in practice and in every match, and their trust that a relentless work ethic will pay off.
“Even though we played great tennis this past weekend, we know that our best tennis is still ahead of us,” said Hughes.
Middlebury have a bye through the first round of the Nescac playoffs, which Amherst is hosting this season, and will play the winner of third-seeded Wesleyan and sixth-seeded Bowdoin on Saturday, May 5.
If the bracket holds, the Panthers will play Wesleyan on Saturday, whom they beat 6–3 in the regular season.
“After playing them two weekends ago, this is definitely not a team to lose sight of,” Boehm said. “They are loud and have strong games. We trust our singles but went down in doubles last time so we definitely have been working on that this week.”
If they win on Saturday, the Panthers will play for the conference championship on Sunday, May 6 at 9 a.m.
In the past two seasons, the Panthers lost to Williams in the Nescac championship. In 2016, Williams won 5–0, and in 2017, 5–4. Here’s to another rematch this season.
(05/03/18 5:29pm)
The women’s tennis team continued to roll in their last match of the regular season, when they defeated No. 8 Amherst 6–3 on Saturday, April 28 for their eighth straight victory. Now they turn to the Nescac playoffs, which the Panthers enter as the second seed behind undefeated Williams.
Even with Williams’ dominance this season and in the past, the Panthers firmly believe they can parlay the play that has led to their recent winning streak into the first Nescac championship in program history, avenging a loss to Williams in the process if necessary.
“We are very excited to have a potential Williams rematch,” said Katy Hughes ’20. “We lost in the regular season to Williams 4-5, so we are looking forward to this rematch. However, we are focusing on one match at a time. But if we do play Williams I am confident that we will win.”
Since its loss to Williams on April 7, Middlebury had won seven matches in a row leading up to the Amherst match last Saturday, playing its best tennis of the season to beat Quinnipiac, a DI opponent, No. 18 Skidmore, No. 14 Bowdoin and No. 5 Wesleyan.
Their match on Saturday provided the Panthers one more test before they enter the highly anticipated postseason. Amherst’s 10–6 record this spring was deceiving because the Mammoths had lost their matches to the other six teams ranked in the nation’s top seven besides Middlebury. Their No. 8 ranking spoke to how Amherst stuck with many of the nation’s top teams even though the matches ended up as losses. They lost to No. 1 Emory, No. 2 Williams and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6–3, and No. 6 Tufts and No. 7 Pomona Pitzer 5–4.
The Mammoths leapt ahead of Middlebury on Saturday by taking two of the three doubles matches. Actually, Middlebury’s pair of Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 swarmed Amherst’s No. 3 pair to win the first match of the day 8–2. After Skelly stepped into Christina Puccinelli ’19’s doubles spot in the middle of the season, she and Boehm are a perfect 6–0 in doubles.
“Although losing Puccinelli is definitely hard, Skelly has really stepped up to the task,” Boehm said. “As a first-year she shows no signs of nerves and plays all out. We are definitely now really comfortable with each other’s games and are confident going into the weekend with good results, despite the more recent switch.”
But Amherst’s first two doubles teams outlasted Middlebury’s top two pairs by scores of 8–6 and 8–5 to give the hosts their lead.
The Panthers know they cannot afford to come out flat in the postseason, when it is crucial to be sound up and down the lineup.
“We came out not as strong as would have liked to in doubles,” said Hughes. “This week we are going to focus a lot on our doubles play so we can have a stronger start.”
To win against the Nescac schools and the nation’s best teams, Middlebury must be prepared to pounce on opportunities at any doubles or singles spot.
On Saturday, that happened across the board in singles, where Middlebury took the match over. Maddi Stow ’20 finished first by dominating Avery Wagman 6–2, 6–1 in the sixth slot. Catherine Blazye ’20 followed up her teammate with an equally convincing 6–0, 6–2 win at No. 4, and Skylar Schossberger completed the sweep of the bottom half of the ladder by winning in straight sets, 6–1, 7–6 (7–4).
Ahead 4–2, Boehm clinched the match with her second win of the day in a 6–2, 6–4 victory in the third slot.
These four Panthers have not lost since Middlebury’s last loss, at Williams on Saturday, April 7, combining to go 21–0 in singles since that point to fuel the team’s winning streak.
“We have worked so hard this entire season and are thrilled to see that our efforts are paying off,” said Puccinelli.
Katy Hughes ’20 added one more straight-sets victory, winning 6–2, 6–4 like Boehm, at No. 2 for the Panthers’ fifth singles win on Saturday, before Puccinelli fell at No. 1.
Middlebury is very confident entering Nescacs, and rightfully so, given their play on Saturday and over the last month.
“While we're still working on individual projects and improving our game on a day-to-day basis, we are all very comfortable with our level of play at this point in the year,” Puccinelli said.
That comfort level has become increasingly apparent over Middlebury’s latest run in Nescac play, which the Panthers attribute to their commitment since last season ended.
“After months of training and perfecting our fitness, we are now just enjoying the level of play that we get to see at practice every day,” said Puccinelli.
Middlebury’s comfort in their play on the court and confidence in themselves emerge in their words. But Hughes is also quick to point out the Panthers must take one match at a time, continuing to practice the way that brought them to this point.
“I believe that all of us are going to work very hard this week on and off the court,” Hughes said. “So we can go into Nescacs feeling confident.”
Middlebury’s confidence is not unfounded: it comes from their success thus far this season, their dedication to improving in practice and in every match, and their trust that a relentless work ethic will pay off.
“Even though we played great tennis this past weekend, we know that our best tennis is still ahead of us,” said Hughes.
Middlebury have a bye through the first round of the Nescac playoffs, which Amherst is hosting this season, and will play the winner of third-seeded Wesleyan and sixth-seeded Bowdoin on Saturday, May 5.
If the bracket holds, the Panthers will play Wesleyan on Saturday, whom they beat 6–3 in the regular season.
“After playing them two weekends ago, this is definitely not a team to lose sight of,” Boehm said. “They are loud and have strong games. We trust our singles but went down in doubles last time so we definitely have been working on that this week.”
If they win on Saturday, the Panthers will play for the conference championship on Sunday, May 6 at 9 a.m.
In the past two seasons, the Panthers lost to Williams in the Nescac championship. In 2016, Williams won 5–0, and in 2017, 5–4. Here’s to another rematch this season.
(04/25/18 8:53pm)
The women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches by winning all three in a successful trip to Connecticut from Friday to Sunday, April 20 to 22. No. 4 Middlebury knocked off DI opponent Quinnipiac 4–3 on Friday, dismissed Trinity 9–0 on Saturday, and upended No. 5 Wesleyan in a crucial match for Nescac seeding on Sunday, even though the Cardinals boast the three-time defending NCAA singles champion, Eudice Chong, who also won the doubles title with Victoria Yu last season.
Middlebury lost to Chong and Yu at first doubles and first and second singles, but the Panthers took every other match to hand Wesleyan its second loss in the conference.
With the victory, the Panthers clinched the second seed in the Nescac playoffs no matter what happens in their last match of the regular season at Amherst this Saturday, because they beat Wesleyan and Tufts, the two teams that are one game behind Middlebury in the standings.
Quinnipiac posed a unique challenge for Middlebury in the Panthers’ first match in Connecticut on Friday. Facing a Division I opponent, they played by DI rules, meaning whichever team won more of the doubles pro-sets to six games won the singles doubles point — singles is not different, so the match was out of seven points. And, of course, any Division I opponent will be a challenge.
The Bobcats took two out of the three doubles matches to earn the doubles point, as Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 6–3 in the second slot for Middlebury’s only doubles victory.
But Middlebury bounced back when Catherine Blazye ’20, at No. 3, and Katy Hughes ’20, at No. 2, won the first two singles matches in straight sets to put Middlebury ahead. Quinnipiac tied the match at two, then Molly Paradies ’19 rebounded from losing 6–7 in the first set to take the next two sets 6–0, 6–2 and give Middlebury the lead back. Once more, the Bobcats answered back in the sixth slot to tie the match at three.
In the deciding match, Skylar Schossberger ’21 won the first set 6–3, lost the second 5–7, then took the third 6–3, securing a 4–3 victory for Middlebury over the hosts.
Saturday’s match at Trinity was Middlebury’s easiest of the weekend. The Panthers shut out the Bantams, winning 96 of 111 games in the process.
And Sunday’s matchup at Wesleyan held great intrigue for a couple of reasons: both teams entered with one loss in the Nescac, and Middlebury is ranked fourth nationally while Wesleyan is fifth.
Doubles play went back and forth. Boehm and Skelly quickly beat their opponents 8–2 in the third slot, but the defending NCAA doubles champions, Chong and Yu, outlasted Schossberger and Hughes in the first to win 8–5 and tie the match.
“Wesleyan’s number-one doubles team is very strong,” said Middlebury head coach Rachel Kahan. “Williams was able to push past them in a close one a few weeks ago, so I believe they are beatable.”
Even in defeat, Middlebury’s top pair demonstrated they could compete with one of the best doubles teams in the country, and Kahan wants her pair to play Chong and Yu again.
“Katy and Sky competed very well and learned a lot from the match, and we hope to get another chance to play them this season.”
Blazye and Maddi Stow ’20 made sure Middlebury led entering singles by defeating their opponents 8–2 at No. 2.
Chong swept Christina Puccinelli ’19 in first singles to tie the match at two. Saturday was Chong’s birthday — as if she was not tough enough already, playing against the senior on her birthday was probably impossible.
The Panthers slowly but steadily pulled away from the Cardinals after that. Schossberger in the fifth slot and Blazye in the fourth won in straight sets before Yu beat Hughes at No. 2.
Middlebury led 4–3 with two matches to go — Boehm’s at No. 3 and Stow’s at No. 6. Stow finished first when she beat Zoe Klass-Warch 6–0, 6–3 to clinch the match for Middlebury. Sunday was Stow’s birthday as well, and she got to seal Middlebury’s victory with her second win of the day and fourth of the weekend.
Stow stayed undefeated in singles this spring with her two wins over the weekend, extending her unbeaten streak to 10 matches. She is emblematic of Middlebury’s remarkable depth throughout their roster, which proved to be one of their keys to victory against Wesleyan and in every match in Connecticut.
All nine players have won matches this spring, and the Panthers won matches in every doubles and singles slot this weekend.
“I do believe we have strong depth on our team this year,” said head coach Rachel Kahan. “It is great as a coach to feel that I can put any of my nine players in the lineup and feel confident that they will compete well.”
Another example of Middlebury’s depth is Skelly, who stepped into the doubles lineup in the middle of the season to pair with Boehm. They have won all five of their matches together, each of them by three games or more.
“We’ve been playing really great together and are thrilled with our five-match winning streak,” said Skelly. “I think that our games really complement each other, and we feed well off each other’s energy. We have been focused, and our coaches have worked with us a lot on different strategies that we’ve been seeing a lot of success in.”
Middlebury will travel to Amherst on Saturday, April 28, to face off with the Mammoths in their final match of the regular season. Then the Panthers will turn to Nescacs the following weekend, when they will venture to Amherst again for the playoffs from Friday to Sunday, May 4 to 6.
(04/18/18 9:00am)
After six consecutive road matches, the women’s tennis team returned to the warm confines of Nelson Recreation Center, where they dealt 8–1 defeats to two ranked opponents, No. 14 Bowdoin on Saturday, April 14, and No. 17 Skidmore on Sunday, April 15.
“Everyone is playing their game and dictating points now,” said Heather Boehm ’20, something they could not quite do last weekend in their loss to No. 2 Williams.
Last weekend, No. 4 Middlebury lost its first Nescac match of the season 5–4 to the Ephs, the defending national and Nescac champions, who have consistently been one of the nation’s best teams since the turn of the century and remain so this year as the last undefeated team in DIII women’s tennis. Even in defeat, Middlebury stuck with Williams in a match that actually could have gone either way.
Nothing is better than home, though, for the Panthers, who had the opportunity to learn from last weekend’s loss and put a week’s worth of practice into effect on their home courts on Saturday and Sunday.
“The team did a great job of coming out in both matches with a lot of energy and really trying to use what we worked on the previous week in practice,” said head coach Rachel Kahan.
Playing on their home courts for the first time in almost a month and for the last time in the regular season meant a great deal to the Panthers.
“We took advantage of the fact that this was one of our few home games this season and made sure our presence was louder than theirs,” Boehm said. “The team definitely missed Christina Puccinelli ’18’s presence on the court, but her sideline support was incredible and definitely helped us stay positive, which isn’t easy to do from the sidelines.”
On Saturday, the Panthers bounced back from the Williams loss by playing excellent tennis from the beginning. Boehm, without her normal doubles partner Puccinelli, who rested her arm over the weekend to prepare for Middlebury’s upcoming three-match weekend, paired with Ann Martin Skelly ’21 to dispose of their Polar Bear opponents in the third doubles slot 8–1 and give the Panthers their first victory of the match.
“Bowdoin is always a good team and is a long-time rival,” said Boehm. “But we came out firing right from the first point.”
As did Middlebury’s other doubles pairs, Katie Hughes ’20 and Skylar Schossberger ’20, and Catherine Blazye ’20 and Maddi Stow ’20. Hughes and Schossberger surrendered one more game in the first slot than Boehm and Skelly did, and Blazye and Stow lost one more in the second slot than Hughes and Schossberger did — meaning, in the three doubles matches, Middlebury outscored Bowdoin 24–6.
Very little changed in Middlebury’s singles matches on Saturday, of which the Panthers won five of six to secure the 8–1 victory, even without Puccinelli, one of their top singles players and a consistent doubles player. After losing last weekend to her Williams opponent, Hughes defeated Bowdoin’s Tess Trinka — who is ranked 16th nationally — 6–1, 6–4 in first singles. And Blazye shut out her opponent in the third slot for her fourth-straight singles victory.
“I believe the key to bouncing back from my losses at Williams to win four matches this weekend was putting last weekend out of mind and focusing on the present moment,” Hughes said. “Losing to Williams was a tiny wake-up call and has motivated us to put in extra time and effort these last couple of weeks so we can set ourselves up the best we can to win nationals.”
Even without Puccinelli, Middlebury dismissed a top-15 opponent, reasserting themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
In Sunday’s match against Skidmore, the Panthers struggled to get going against their non-conference foe.
“We always underestimate how good they are, and we came out flat on Saturday,” Boehm said. “But we can always grind them out in singles, even though they are a very strong team.”
And that is what the Panthers did on Sunday: they ground out two doubles victories, then swept the Thoroughbreds in singles to earn their second 8–1 win in as many days, punctuated by two shutouts orchestrated by Stow and Molly Paradies ’19 in the fifth and sixth slots, respectively.
With two wins, Middlebury moved to 9–2 this spring entering the final two weekends of the regular season. This weekend, Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22, Middlebury will play three matches in Connecticut, one against a DI opponent, Quinnipiac, and two against Nescac foes, Trinity and Wesleyan. Middlebury should beat Trinity, who is 1–5 in the conference, but Wesleyan will be a different beast. Middlebury, Wesleyan and Amherst all lurk behind Williams in the Nescac standings with one loss apiece in conference play, and the next two weekends will go a long way in determining Nescac playoff seedings — since the Panthers play the Mammoths the following weekend in their last match of the regular season.
Middlebury took a step in the right direction this weekend with their actual record and with their play on the courts — an important step if they want to avenge their losses from earlier this season.
“We are playing with confidence and trying to execute our game plans aggressively,” said Kahan about her team’s play over the weekend. “In order to beat teams like Claremont and Williams, I believe it is going to come down to the belief factor that they can do it, playing loose with no fear, and having some fun.”
The regular season never determines who the champion is, but it does demonstrate who is ahead at the time. If the Panthers want to rewrite the regular-season pecking order in the postseason, they must continue to get better, using their energy, relentlessness, and assertiveness from this weekend as building blocks for the future.
(04/11/18 8:56pm)
In a battle of Nescac heavyweights, the No. 2 Williams women’s tennis team delivered the first two punches and outlasted No. 5 Middlebury 5–4 on Saturday, April 7, in a match reminiscent of the two teams’ showdown in the semifinals of last season’s NCAA tournament, when Williams ended Middlebury’s season with a 5–4 victory.
Over the past two seasons, the rivalry between Middlebury and Williams has reached a new stratosphere, as they have faced off in the Nescac championship game each of the past two seasons, and in the NCAA tournament last year as well. During this time, the teams have met five times in all.
Even after a delayed start due to the men’s match between Williams and Middlebury, Lansing Chapman Rink was abuzz from the moment the Nescac rivals took to the court on Saturday afternoon.
Christina Puccinelli ’19 said, “the energy was palpable,” all afternoon and into the evening. “Each player on both teams came prepared for a long day,” she added. And a long day they got.
The Ephs scored first, jumping on the Panthers to take the first two doubles matches in the first and second slot. The Panthers salvaged a point at third doubles, when Christina Puccinelli ’19 and Heather Boehm ’20 climbed out of a 5–2 hole to defeat Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Emily Zheng 9–7.
And then Catherine Blazye ’20 tied the match at two by quickly dismissing Chloe Henderson 6–2, 6–0 in fourth singles. Just like that, it was a new match between the fierce rivals, as each needed three more wins to secure their biggest victory in the conference regular season.
Instead of folding after falling behind the second-ranked Ephs, the Panthers stayed the course and remained confident.
“Although we were down 1-2 after doubles, we did a very good job of switching our attention immediately to singles and heading into our next matches with confidence and focus,” Puccinelli said.
But Williams came right back to take the next two matches in straight sets in the second and first slots, putting themselves one win away from victory.
With her team’s back against the wall, Boehm won her second match of the day to keep Middlebury alive, even after losing her first set to Leah Bush 2–6. She took the next set 6–4, before Bush retired, ceding the match to Boehm in the third slot. The sophomore continued her strong spring, extending her unbeaten streak in singles to nine matches, as she breathed some life back into Middlebury’s sails for the second time on Saturday.
Williams would not be denied though, sealing the match in the fifth slot where Mia Gancayco defeated Skylar Schossberger ’20 6–1, 6–3 to put the Ephs ahead 5–3.
Perhaps as telling as anything on Saturday, Maddi Stow ’20 won the last match of the day by defeating Julia Cancio 7–5, 6–4 in the sixth slot after Williams had won the match. Stow’s victory had no bearing on the grander scheme of Saturday’s match, but the sophomore still managed to rally to beat her opponent in straight sets.
“We ended up losing, but we remained positive and composed until the last shot was hit,” said Puccinelli. “It also helped to end on a high note, with our sophomore Maddi Stow closing the night out with a win.”
In the end, only one match separated the Nescac rivals on Saturday, just like their final match of 2017. No one on Middlebury believes Saturday did anything to separate the two teams.
“I do not believe there was any difference in ability which affected Saturday’s matchup,” Schossberger said. “The fact is anybody can lose to anybody on any given day.”
Puccinelli echoed her teammates’ words, saying “To be perfectly honest, given the talent on both teams, I think the match could have gone either way. They happened to come out on top this time, but we came away from the match with absolute confidence that we have what it takes to win in the future.”
Of course, the Panthers would love another shot at their nemesis, after having demonstrated again they could play with the Ephs.
“The goal is to get another chance at Williams,” said Blazye. “I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season hold for our team.”
Right now, Williams is the last undefeated team in the Nescac (11–0) and seems primed to make runs at its sixth Nescac championship in eight years and ninth NCAA championship in the last 11 years.
If the Panthers (7–2) want another shot at their rivals, they will need to buckle down for the rest of their Nescac schedule, which includes bouts with No. 14 Bowdoin, No. 29 Trinity, No. 4 Wesleyan and No. 8 Amherst. They showed considerable mettle on Saturday, despite the final result. Replicating that form the rest of the way will be key to earning another match against Williams, since another meeting would likely be in a higher stakes match.
If history repeats itself, they will meet again in the Nescac or NCAA tournaments. And if history repeats itself, Middlebury may come out on top next time around. Remember, Middlebury won in the regular season last year but lost to the Ephs in Nescacs and NCAAs — The Panthers certainly recall that fact.
“We would love to get the chance to play Williams again in the post-season,” said Puccinelli. “Not only is it always fun to play our rivals, but we’ve also developed great relationships with the players on their team. Of course, we now have the added incentive of staging a comeback, so stay tuned.”
(04/04/18 9:00am)
The women’s tennis team entered its spring break trip with a 3–0 record after dominating its first three opponents, defeating Tufts 6–3, Colby 9–0, and St. Lawrence 9–0. After continuing its undefeated run in its first three matches in California, No. 5 Middlebury lost for the first time in a 7–2 defeat to No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) on Friday, March 30. But the Panthers rebounded against their former coach, Mike Morgan, and his new team, No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer, with a 7–2 victory on Saturday, March 31, to end the West Coast swing on a high note.
They left the Golden State with a 7–1 record and have set their sights on returning to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps this May for the NCAA tournament, confident despite their first loss of the season.
“We are very excited to continue our season and are hoping that we will be back in California for the NCAA national tournament,” said the team’s No. 1, Katy Hughes ’20, after returning to campus.
A return to Claremont in May is a long ways off, but Middlebury knows the preparation needed to reach that point comes in every moment up until then, and the Panthers are convinced their spring trip will go a long way to achieving that goal. Heather Boehm ’20, one of Middlebury’s regulars in both the singles and doubles lineups, says that she and her teammates returned to Middlebury “closer than ever,” after using the trip to bond as a team.
“We play our best when we feel connected off the court,” said Boehm, after returning to campus from California. “We have more trust in each other than we have ever had, and have learned how much stronger we are together. Even though it is mostly an individual sport, we cannot win alone.”
On the court in California, Middlebury played outside for the first time in 2018 when they faced off with Grossmont on Sunday, March 25. The Panthers had no problem shutting out the Griffins, surrendering only two of 98 games on their way to a 9–0 victory.
The Panthers next travelled to Azusa Pacific to do battle with Cougars, the No. 13-ranked team in the DII polls, on Monday, March 26. Although Middlebury hails from a lower division, the Panthers came out on top with a 7–2 victory. While the Panthers lost individual matches to the Cougars, one in singles and one in doubles, their 7–2 win came in comfortable fashion.
After off-days Tuesday and Wednesday, Middlebury met up with Westmont at Pomona-Pitzer on Thursday, March 29. The Panthers shut out the Warriors 9–0, including dominant wins from two first-years. Emily Bian ’21 won 6–2, 6–1 in the fifth spot, and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 6–0, 6–0 at No. 6.
But the going got much tougher for Middlebury the next day, when the Panthers faced off with CMS, who is ranked third nationally. The Athenas entered Friday’s matchup with a 16–2 record, and their only losses came against the reigning NCAA champs, Williams, and last year’s runners-up, Emory.
CMS handed Middlebury its first loss of 2018, as the Panthers fell 7–2. Boehm and Maddi Stow ’20 won Middlebury’s only matches, with Boehm sweeping Caroline Cox 6–3, 6–3 in the No. 4 spot and Stow outlasting Jessie Cruz 7–5, 1–6, 10–8 in the sixth slot.
Unlike many of Middlebury’s matches that they won in dominating fashion, every Panther won several games against CMS, even in defeat.
“Even though we lost to Claremont, every match was close, and with a few more points here and there it could have been an entirely different match,” Boehm said with optimism and confidence in her team.
The Panthers needed to get past their first loss of the 2018 campaign quickly, especially because their next opponent provided another tough test. When they faced Pomona-Pitzer the very next day, they not only went up against the No. 7 team in the country, but they also went up against their former coach, Mike Morgan. Morgan left Middlebury before the fall season began to become the head coach at Pomona-Pitzer.
“It was really great to be able to see our former coach Mike Morgan. He is such a wonderful coach and is doing fabulous things at Pomona,” said Hughes. “He made such an impact on not only each of our tennis games, but more importantly on an individual level. The women’s tennis team will forever remember his contribution to shaping our program.”
While this made for a matchup full of emotion, Middlebury got back on track, defeating the Sagehens 7–2 to cap off spring break and return east to jump into Nescac play with a 7–1 record.
Boehm capped off a fantastic week by beating Summer Garrison 6–0, 6–3 at No. 3. She also paired with Christina Puccinelli ’19 to win 8–4 in No. 3 doubles. Boehm was Middlebury’s only player to play singles in all five matches and win in all five. She also did so without losing a single set, playing in the second, third and fourth singles spots.
Boehm believes her success thus far arises from her fitness, which has been a focus for the entire team in practices.
“The key to my success has been my fitness,” said Boehm. “We have really been working on maintaining that first explosive move throughout the entire match by mixing in different sprints during practice throughout the week. Knowing that I can outlast our opponents definitely gives all of us confidence that we can close out our matches.”
Besides her individual success, Boehm has experienced a rapid rise in doubles, after not making the top-four doubles spot in her first year at Middlebury. She and Puccinelli won four of their five doubles matches in the third spot on the spring trip, and are 7–1 so far this spring.
“Christina has taught me a lot about strategy and has helped me gain confidence playing in third doubles,” Boehm said.
After their loss to Claremont No. 3 pair, Boehm and Puccinelli know what they “need to buckle down on at practice this week.”
Even with Middlebury’s loss to CMS, Hughes was very pleased with Middlebury’s performance in California.
“I am beyond proud of us all,” Hughes said, who went 3–2 in singles and 3–2 in the first doubles slot, paired Skylar Schossberger ’20, in California. “We have worked so hard this year and to see it come together was truly amazing. Everyone competed so hard and played with such grace and integrity.”
After feeling the sting of defeat against CMS, the Panthers’ minds have turned to the practice courts, where they believe their hopes of avenging their loss lie.
“Although it was a tough loss, we are definitely determined to train harder than we have ever trained before to get to that next level,” said Boehm. “We want to get the W next time if we see Claremont again at NCAAs.”
Now, Middlebury turns to the thick of its Nescac schedule, including a showdown with Williams in Williamstown, Massachusetts, two days from now on Saturday, April 7. The Ephs have won eight of the last 10 NCAA championships, including last season’s. In 2017, Middlebury beat Williams in their regular season match then lost to them twice in the postseason: in the Nescac championship match, and in the NCAA semifinals. After winning 6–3 and losing 5–2 in the first two matchups, the Panthers were one win away from defeating Williams in the NCAA semifinals, holding a 4–1 lead, but lost the last four matches as victory slipped away.
In the print edition, this story stated Middlebury lost to Williams all three times in 2017.
(04/04/18 9:00am)
Last season, the women’s lacrosse team’s season ended with an 8–4 loss in the NCAA regional final to The College of New Jersey. So when the Panthers faced the Lions on Tuesday, March 27, they sought revenge, but revenge they could not yet get. The Panthers fell to No. 3 TCNJ 10–6 for their first loss of the season.
Even with their loss to TCNJ, Middlebury (9–1) went 3–1 over spring break and stayed undefeated in the Nescac (5–0) by beating No. 18 Bowdoin 14–4 and No. 6 Amherst 11–9, the second-highest ranked Nescac team in the IWLCA Coaches poll. The Panthers also added a victory over Union in midweek play this past Tuesday by a final score of 16–4.
On the first Saturday of spring break, March 24, the Panthers dismantled No. 18 Bowdoin 14–4 on Kohn Field. A balanced attack led Middlebury to victory as 11 different Panthers scored. Kirsten Murphy ’21 continued her excellent debut season by assisting on five goals, a category she leads Middlebury in with 14.
And once more the Middlebury defense dominated, allowing only four goals on 17 shots. Through 10 games, Middlebury’s opponents have scored 4.8 goals per game, the lowest average in the Nescac by almost two goals.
But after winning each of its previous four games by at least 10 goals, Middlebury came crashing back down to earth at TCNJ on Tuesday, March 27. Tied at three at halftime, the Lions outscored the visiting Panthers 7–3 in the second half to secure a 10–6 victory.
Middlebury surrendered more than five goals for the first time this season and scored a season-low six goals.
“Our loss to TCNJ on Tuesday taught us a valuable lesson,” said team captain Georgia Carroll ’18. “Our team has high standards for our play, and if we talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. The Middlebury team that showed up against TCNJ didn’t deserve to win, and we are grateful to have faced competition that held us accountable for our mistakes.”
Middlebury rebounded two days later, when the Panthers defeated Montclair St. 15–7 in their second and final game in New Jersey over the break — their 15 goals tied a season-high. The reigning Nescac Player of the Year, Hollis Perticone ’18, led another balanced offensive effort with three goals. Nine other Panthers got in on the scoring as well.
In their biggest game of the Nescac season thus far, Middlebury fell behind Amherst 2–0 in the first three minutes of last Saturday’s, March 31, game at Kohn Field. Not to be deterred, the Panthers responded with two goals of their own in the next three minutes from Emily Barnard ’20 and Carroll to knot the game at two just 5:17 into the contest.
After Amherst took a 3–2 lead, the Panthers rattled off five of the next six goals and never trailed again, taking a 7–5 lead into the half.
In the second half, the teams traded goals. Every time the Panthers scored, the Mammoths answered back but could never get any closer than two goals. Middlebury earned an 11–9 win, toppling previously-undefeated Amherst to stay undefeated in the Nescac. The Panthers are one of two undefeated teams remaining in conference play, along with Tufts, whom they will play on the last Saturday of the regular season, April 21.
On Tuesday, April 3, Middlebury beat Union 16–4 in its last non-conference game of the regular season, as 11 Panthers scored goals.
Middlebury will play its second game of its current four-game home stretch when it faces No. 21 Colby at Kohn this Saturday, April 7, at noon. The Mules will enter with a 1–4 Nescac record, but each of their four losses have come by one or two goals. They lost to Amherst by one goal and to Tufts by two goals.
Last season, Colby beat Middlebury twice, in the regular season and in the Nescac semifinals, before the Panthers avenged their losses with a 10–9 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Colby’s home turf.
As always, the Panthers have to get up for every game in the Nescac, one of the toughest conferences in DIII women’s lacrosse. Right now, eight of the conference’s 11 teams are ranked in the top 25, including four in the top 10. Even as the Panthers stand at the top of the conference currently, they realize that could change in a second if they fail to play up to their ability.
“We try not to think too much about the standings,” Carroll said. “It’s always anyone’s game, especially in the Nescac.”
As the TCNJ game taught the Panthers, they cannot just show up if they expect to beat the best teams in the nation. Of course, the team has demonstrated it can beat really good teams, even dominate them at times — look no further than their win against No. 6 Amherst and blowouts of No. 18 Bowdoin and No. 14 Wesleyan.
With four ranked opponents still on the horizon in the regular season, the Panthers have an opportunity to prove they belong in the conversation for a national title, improve upon the weaknesses revealed over spring break, and earn the top seed in the Nescac playoffs for the second straight season.
(03/21/18 10:03pm)
The No. 4 women’s tennis team opened its 2018 home season on Saturday, March 17, and protected the Nelson Recreation Center courts by shutting out both Colby and St. Lawrence 9–0. Every player on the roster contributed at least one win as the Panthers completely overmatched the Mules and Saints, surrendering only 21 games in their two matches.
In the first match on Saturday, Middlebury faced off with Colby, its second Nescac foe of the season. The Mules entered the match with a 3–0, including a 1–0 mark in the Nescac after defeating Hamilton.
But the Mules stood little chance against the Panthers from the beginning, as Middlebury took all three of the doubles points. In the No. 1 slot, Katie Hughes ’20 and Skylar Schossberger ’20 beat the Venditti twins 8–1. In the second spot, Christina Puccinelli ’19 and Heather Boehm ’20 held Callie Nesbitt and Jessica Tsai scoreless, and Molly Paradies ’19 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 8–3 over Emily Dyckman and Isha Banerjee in third doubles. Emily Bian got Middlebury going in singles, defeating Jamie Pine 6–2, 6–2 in the sixth slot.
Middlebury sealed its victory over Colby when Puccinelli shut out her opponent in the second slot. And the Panthers continued its dominance by winning each of the last four singles matches to capture a 9–0 victory over the Mules.
Hughes beat Lydia Venditti 6–1, 6–2 at No. 1, Catherine Blazye ’20 defeated Nesbitt 6–1, 6–0 at No. 3, and Paradies capped off Middlebury’s shutout by dispatching Dyckman 6–1, 6–0, at No. 5.
Middlebury’s dominance on Saturday did not lend itself to competitive excitement, but the Panthers know how important every match is, even those against lesser opponents.
“We view the matches against Colby and St. Lawrence like we would any other match weekend,” said Boehm. “We make sure to stay focused because, with a double header that can take up to eight hours on the court, if you lose focus for a second, your opponent can come back out of nowhere.
“We can use these matches to work on our eye control and focus during long days like these. We also use them to work on new projects and patterns we aren’t usually comfortable with. To us, these matches are no different from the NCAA postseason, and we try to take something away from every win.”
Middlebury’s second match of the double header began the same way, as the Panthers swept doubles again. In second doubles, Maddi Stow ’20 and Blazye paired up this time to defeat Caroline Reilly and Katherine Apt 8–1. Puccinelli and Boehm moved down to the third spot to shut out their opponents. And Hughes and Schossberger paired up again to win 8–3 over Emily Wyman and Lia Peterson in the first slot.
In singles, Hughes, Puccinelli and Paradies all won in straight sets in the same spots in the lineup as the Colby match. Boehm defeated Apt 6–0, 6–0 at No. 3, while Stow also shut out her opponent in the fourth slot. And Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 6–2, 6–0 in sixth slot, as Middlebury earned its second 9–0 win of the day.
After a 3–0 start to the season, the women’s tennis team now turns to its spring break trip to California, where it will play Grossmont, Azusa Pacific, Westmont, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and Pomona-Pitzer. The Panthers look forward to their matchup with Pomona-Pitzer, whom Mike Morgan coaches now, after 11 years as head coach of Middlebury.
“We are all looking forward to spring break,” Boehm said. “It’s a chance to compete in a different climate and practice some outdoor tennis. The competition will definitely be tougher against those two teams but because of our intense preparation (we wear sweats to every indoor practice to simulate the heat), we feel confident that we will compete well out there.”
To go along with the hot weather and the move outdoors, Middlebury will face tough competition on the west coast, since Pomona-Pitzer is ranked fifth and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps third in the DIII national rankings.
(03/14/18 5:50pm)
With six seconds remaining, Matt Folger ’18 grabbed an offensive rebound, dribbled to the three-point arc, and launched a three that bounced off the back of the rim, ending the men’s basketball team’s NCAA tournament run and its 2018 season last Friday, March 9. Middlebury lost to MIT 79–76 in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey. For the third straight year, the Panthers’ season ended with a loss in the NCAA tournament by four or fewer points in games that could have gone either way.
Seniors Jack Daly ’18, Adisa Majors ’18 and Nick Tarantino ’18 have all been a part of those three NCAA teams, including last season’s run to the Elite Eight, and two Nescac champion teams. After a 21–7 season as senior captains, Daly, Majors and Tarantino finished their Middlebury careers with an 83–29 record. They were parts of the first team to win back-to-back Nescac championships and the team that won 27 games last season, the second-most in program history.
For the third straight game, Middlebury threw the first punch on Friday evening, taking a 12–5 lead in the first six minutes of the game. In a game shaped by counterpunches, the Engineers responded with a 13–0 run to go ahead by six. But the Panthers came right back to score 13 out of the next 15 points and led 25–20 with 7:15 left in the first half.
Tied at 34, Daly set up a Folger three with three seconds remaining in the half, sending Middlebury to the locker room up 37–34.
The Panthers held the Engineers to below thirty percent shooting from inside the arc in the first half, as Folger rejected six shots, but MIT stayed in the game by hitting seven out of 17 threes from beyond the arc.
Jack Farrell ’21 stayed hot after scoring 19 in Middlebury’s win in the second round of the tournament, tallying 12 on five of seven shooting in the first half on Friday.
Over the first eight minutes of the second half, every time MIT got within two points, Middlebury answered to keep the Engineers at bay.
But, at the 11:31 mark, MIT tied the game at 54 and then at 57 less than two minutes later. The Panthers rebuilt their lead to five, 67–62, but then the Engineers made their move, scoring the next eight points to go ahead by three.
Farrell drilled a three to tie the game, then MIT went ahead by five to take a 75–70 lead with 3:50 remaining. Middlebury held MIT in check over the next two possessions, but could not score either until the 1:48 mark when Daly laid the ball in to cut the lead to three.
After an Engineer miss and a Folger rebound, Middlebury pushed the ball down the court and Daly finished in the lane to cut the lead to 75–74 with 54 seconds remaining. Out of their own timeout, the Engineers held the ball, but turned it over with 25 ticks left on the clock, as Farrell stole it.
Jack Daly ’18 got the ball and drove it into the lane, where he lofted a floater that rolled off the rim. MIT rebounded the basketball and made two free throws to take a three-point lead. Daly drew a foul at midcourt and sank two free throws, but MIT responded with two makes from the line. Behind 79–76, Daly missed the front end of a one-and-one after being fouled, which was the rebound Folger grabbed to launch Middlebury’s final chance.
In a game featuring four lead changes and seven ties, neither team led by more than seven points. In the second half, the lead was never greater than five—at no point in the second half were the two separated by more than two possessions. But some team had to win and MIT scored when it needed to most, outscoring Middlebury 17–9 over the final 7:10 to eke out a 79–76 victory over the Panthers.
For the second straight season, Middlebury came within four wins, they were within three last season when they made the Elite Eight, and lost in the last minute of each game, making the loss especially emotional for the Panther seniors.
“The closer you get to goals, like winning a national championship, the more crushing it is when you nearly miss achieving it two years in a row,” said Tarantino. “As a result, I think it’s been an emotional couple of days for all us.
“Nevertheless, I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved this year and over my last four years.”
The two Jacks led the Panthers on Saturday, as Daly scored 21 points and nabbed 13 rebounds, and Farrell added 15 points on three three-pointers. Folger tallied nine points, seven rebounds and six blocks.
Daly finished his career atop Middlebury’s career assist leaderboard with 611, and set the school single-season record this year by tallying 237. He also scored 1,067 points, placing him seventh in program history in that category, and grabbed 649 rebounds. Daly is believed to be the first player in Nescac history to tally 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
Head coach Jeff Brown has coached many of the best players in Middlebury men’s basketball history, including 1,000-point scorers Matt St. Amour ’17, Joey Kizel ’14, Ryan Sharry ’12, Ben Rudin ’09, Nolan Thompson ’13, Greg Poulos ’98, Jake Wolfin ’13, and Nate Anderson ’04. And now Daly, who Brown considers to be one of the best players he has ever coached an one of the best in program history.
“Jack will go down as one of the best players ever to play at Middlebury,” said Brown, citing Daly’s senior season as one he will never forget. “He is the only player in the history of NESCAC basketball to accumulate 1000 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds. He started his senior season with a triple double vs Fitchburg State and had one in our first NCAA game vs Lebanon Valley. He led the country in total assists this season.”
Brown knows his point guard’s skill on the court propelled him to a tremendous career in the blue and white, and that Daly’s drive to win had just as much to do with his individual and their team’s success.
“He is one of the most passionate players that I have ever coached,” Brown concluded.
Majors and Tarantino also played their last game in the Middlebury uniform on Friday.
Majors’ career took off in his sophomore season when he burst into the Panthers’ rotation, starting 11 games and averaging 7.2 points per game in 16.1 minutes. He started 19 games his junior year, while averaging a career-best 9.6 points per contest in 23.2 minutes. Majors embraced coming off the bench in his senior season, playing five fewer minutes per game but still averaging 7.6 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting.
Majors was one of Brown’s many big men who powered Middlebury to the Sweet Sixteen. Coach Brown recognized how important he was to Middlebury’s success this season.
“Adisa made strong contributions the last three seasons,” Brown said. “He provided us with inside scoring and made a lot of medium range jump shots. This season his 15-foot jump shot on the baseline against Bowdoin with 5 seconds left was the game winner. He developed into a great passer for us.”
Tarantino, along with Daly and Majors, was a team captain this season and Middlebury’s starting center. After sitting behind more experienced Panthers his first two seasons, Tarantino started 18 games last season and all 28 games this season. He averaged 6.8 points and six rebounds in his junior year, and career-bests 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks this season.
Brown is proud of his Tarantino’s, and all of his seniors’, selflessness on and off the basketball court.
“Nick started every game for us in his senior season,” said Brown. “He provided inside scoring, rebounding and good defense at the rim. He was able to create a spark for us with an exciting dunk or block. He was very active and athletic on the court and very unselfish.”
Majors and Tarantino also left their marks on the Middlebury record book, as this year’s team set Middlebury’s single-season rebounding mark by grabbing 1,329. Tarantino secured 6.8 rebounds per game, while Majors corralled five.
As much as Middlebury will miss its three seniors, they will miss being Panthers just as much. Being a part of coach Brown’s team meant much more to Daly than what happened on the court.
“Basketball has been a huge part of my life at Middlebury, and my best friends have all played on the team,” said Daly after Friday’s loss. “That is the unique part about continuing to play at the college level. It’s led me to relationships that I may never have created and has led me to people I may never have met. I am so grateful that I have crossed paths with everyone these last four years, players and coaches.”
“I’m sad to say my basketball career is over, but my passion for it will never stop,” said Tarantino, echoing his classmate’s sentiments. “I’ve taken away so many life lessons from the sport and have met many close friends through it. I have all the gratitude in the world for my teammates and coaches for making these past years the best four of my life.”
Ending their collegiate careers with a loss was certainly difficult for Daly, Majors and Tarantino, but they know their final loss neither represents their careers as a whole nor clouds their memory of their awesome times at Middlebury.
“We’ve had so much success during my four years, from winning back-to-back Nescac championships, to hosting NCAA tournament games, to making the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen,” Daly said. “I can proudly say that I left everything all out on the court and have no regrets, which is why I can keep my head held high because there is nothing more I could have done.
“Obviously it’s sad to not have your last game be a win, but life goes on, and you have to be able to reflect on the good times because they clearly outnumbered the bad times we’ve had on the court.”
Once again, Middlebury will be hard-pressed to replace its three outgoing seniors who helped guide the Panthers to consistent success over their four years here. But Daly knows Middlebury will be in the good hands of his teammates and coaches.
“I wish returners nothing but the best of luck, and I know they will continue to keep this program at a high level,” Daly concluded. “The future looks extremely bright.”
(03/08/18 12:32am)
The men’s basketball team entered the NCAA tournament on a three-game losing streak, desperately needing to regain the form it had earlier in the season. In each of the Panthers’ two games last weekend, they reestablished themselves immediately by jumping out to 12–3 leads, forcing their opponents to call early timeouts, en route to victories in the first two rounds of NCAAs. Middlebury defeated Lebanon Valley 83–63 on Friday, March 2, and beat Eastern Connecticut State 83–58 on Saturday, March 3, to move onto NCAA sectionals.
Jack Daly ’18 continued his magical season with his second triple-double of the season, and second in program history, against Lebanon Valley. Daly scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and assisted on 14 more baskets to lead the way on Friday, and tallied 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in Middlebury’s second round matchup.
As one of the final 16 DIII teams left in the nation, Middlebury will play MIT at Ramapo College tomorrow, March 9, at 5:30 p.m. If the Panthers win, they will meet the winner of Ramapo and Franklin & Marshall on Saturday for an opportunity to play in the Final Four.
Middlebury’s first-round opponent, Lebanon Valley, entered the tournament on the heels of winning Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth with an 18–9 record. Coincidentally, Lebanon Valley played one Nescac team in the regular season, Hamilton, and lost to the Continentals 102–83, the exact same score of the Middlebury-Hamilton matchup.
On Friday, the Panthers could not have started the game any hotter than they did, getting out to a 10–0 lead just over two minutes into the first half by making their first four shots and forcing two turnovers. Daly assisted on the first three baskets, including on two transition baskets off turnovers, before getting one of his own to help account for Middlebury’s first ten points.
The Flying Dutchmen responded with a 19–5 run of their own to take a 19–15 lead. Back-and-forth the first half went, as Middlebury came right back to take a 26–22 lead. Lebanon Valley took another lead, 36–35, with 1:26 remaining in the first half.
With three of his big men facing foul trouble, head coach Jeff Brown turned to a four-guard lineup over the last two minutes in the half. Joey Leighton ’20 answered Brown’s call to his guards by hitting a three-pointer to give Middlebury a two-point lead. Then, Daly forced a Lebanon Valley turnover at midcourt, and finished off the half with a contested layup to put Middlebury in front 40–36 heading into the halftime locker room.
Ahead 50–46 almost seven minutes into the second half, Middlebury started to take control, going on a 10-point run to take its first double digit lead of the contest. Second-leading scorer Matt Folger ’20 sparked the run by scoring five straight points. After only scoring three points in the first half, Folger tipped in his own miss and then hit a three the next time down. Daly kept the pressure on the following possession by finishing a layup, forcing a Lebanon Valley timeout. Then, Leighton hit another three-pointer off a Daly offensive rebound to give Middlebury a 60–46 lead.
Lebanon stopped the bleeding temporarily with a three of its own next time down, but the Panthers kept extending their lead on the back of their defense and offensive ball movement. From the 14:38 to the 5:20 mark, Middlebury blew the game open. They extended their lead from a narrow four point margin, 50–46, to a 74–54 lead, which all but put the game away. The Panthers held the Flying Dutchmen to three of 11 shooting and forced four turnovers over that span of 9:18.
The 20-point margin would stay intact over the final 5:20, and Middlebury secured a 83–63 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
After a close first half, Middlebury ran away from Lebanon Valley in the second half, outscoring the Flying Dutchmen 43–27. Although the Panthers shot only two percentage points better than the Flying Dutchmen in the second half, they outrebounded Lebanon Valley 13–1, which led to Middlebury’s taking 18 more shots from the field.
Lebanon Valley’s leading scorer, Sam Light, who averaged 23 points per game this season, scored only 14 on Friday night, and only three in the decisive second half. Guard Jack Farrell ’21 had the assignment of Light for most of the night Friday night, as one of coach Jeff Brown’s quickest guards. Farrell and the Panthers knew if they slowed down Light they would be in very good shape to move onto the second round.
“Coming into the game we knew Sam Light was their guy, and that he could score from many different levels,” Farrell said. “It was all about putting everything I had into not letting him score the ball, or make other impactful plays. I knew I was quicker and a little bigger than him, so I tried to make sure he could feel me and know I was right there every time to get him out of his usual rhythm.”
Along with Daly’s triple-double, Folger added 14 points, and Eric McCord ’19 added 12 in 14 minutes off the bench.
As hot as the Panthers started on Friday night, their start on Saturday may have been more important. Eastern Connecticut State entered their matchup with Middlebury with a 26–3 record and a perfect 4–0 against Nescac opponents.
Middlebury came out in attack mode to take a 12–3 lead within the first four minutes of action. Eight of their first twelve points came in the paint, and the other four came on free throws. The nine-point lead forced Eastern Connecticut State to call a timeout, but that did not slow the tide. Middlebury continued to attack the basket with the drive and the pass, and to crash the boards ferociously. The Panthers built a 24–7 lead just over seven minutes into the first half.
From there, Middlebury slowed down offensively, and the Warriors started to make some shots. The home team cut the lead to 25–15, but could not get any closer in the first half.
Daly exited the game with 2:25 left in the first half with two fouls, opening the door for Eastern Connecticut State to make some headway into its 14-point deficit. But Middlebury’s supporting cast rose to the occasion to extend the Panther lead going into the halfway point. Ahead by 15, Max Bosco ’21 fought off some Warrior pressure to find Farrell on the wing for a three to give Middlebury a 46–28 halftime lead.
Only once did Eastern Connecticut State get closer than 18 points in the second half, less than two minutes in when two Warrior free throws made the score 47–30. Middlebury grew its lead to as many as 25 points, 73–48, with 7:04 remaining on its way to sealing an 83–58 victory.
Middlebury’s defense on its opponent leading scorer was crucial once more on Saturday. Tarchee Brown scored 19.4 points per game this season, but Middlebury held him to 12 points on four of 20 shooting.
“We knew Brown liked to shoot the three, so we tried to chase him over every screen and be right on him with high hands every time he caught the ball to make sure he wasn’t able to get off a good shot,” said Farrell. “Coach always tells us defense comes first and stops will turn into transition baskets. I think that’s what we did well this weekend as a team.”
Farrell led Middlebury in scoring with 19 points on an efficient five of nine shooting and seven of eight from the foul line.
“Coach Brown always stresses shooting with confidence and making smart plays,” Farrell said, when asked about his big scoring night. “I think that’s what I tried to go out there and do, have confidence in my ability to score, at a couple different levels. But I also think in the flow of the game I was given a couple opportunities to take a jumper or drive at my defender.”
Farrell was one of many Panthers who was aggressive in finding good shots. Middlebury outscored Eastern Connecticut State 46–28 in the paint, after dominating Lebanon Valley 42–18 there the night before. After failing to score above 68 points in their previous two games, the Panthers tallied eclipsed that total by 15 points in both games last weekend.
MIT, Middlebury’s next opponent, enters tomorrow’s matchup with a 24–5 record, having beaten Brockport and Johns Hopkins to get to the Sweet Sixteen. The Engineers won New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference to receive a bid to the tournament.
In the other sectional matchup, the sectional host Ramapo plays Franklin & Marshall. Ramapo (23–6) won the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and Franklin & Marshall (22–6) received an at-large bid after losing to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference semifinals.
(02/28/18 11:43pm)
The NCAA DIII men’s basketball committee chose Middlebury as one of 21 at-large teams to play in the 2018 championship this past Monday, Feb. 26.
Despite facing a whopping 10 ranked opponents this season, the Panthers finished 19–6, and went 4–6 against those ranked teams. Middlebury took care of business against the teams they needed to, going 15–0 against non-ranked teams.
Five of its six losses were on the road, with the lone home loss coming against Swarthmore on Jan. 2. And five were to NCAA tournament participants, the exception being Middlebury’s loss to Amherst, who was part of the five-way tie for first in the Nescac and won the conference by tiebreakers.
Middlebury will make its ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament in 11 years. The last two years, the Panthers earned automatic bids into the field by winning the Nescac championship, although last season they surely would have earned an at-large bid with a 24–3 record entering the tournament.
They will play Lebanon Valley in their first-round game at Eastern Connecticut State tomorrow, March 2, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Connecticut State will host the four-team regional, and will play Johnson & Wales after Middlebury’s game on Friday. The winners of these two matchups will meet on Saturday, March, 3 to determine who advances to the final sixteen teams in NCAA Sectionals.
Lebanon Valley (18–9) made its way into the tournament by winning its first Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championship since 1995. The Flying Dutchmen defeated longtime rival Albright 70–68 on a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds to play on Saturday, Feb. 24. Sam Light and Andy Orr lead Lebanon Valley on the offensive end, as they average 23.3 and 18.2 points per game, respectively.
Coincidentally, Lebanon Valley and Middlebury both lost to Hamilton, their one common opponent, 102–83.
Host Eastern Connecticut State (25–3) is the highest-seed in the regional, after winning the Little East Conference championship for the second straight season. Tarchee Brown leads the Warriors in scoring with 19.9 points per game. They fared very well against the Nescac this season, going a perfect 4–0 against Connecticut College, Colby, Amherst and Trinity.
Middlebury enters the tournament on a three-game losing streak, after losing to Hamilton and Amherst in the regular season and Wesleyan in the first round of Nescacs on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Panthers will return to the court nearly two weeks after their loss to the Cardinals in the playoffs.
In their last two losses, Middlebury recorded its lowest two scoring outputs of the season, shooting below 36 percent in each of its losses. On the season, the Panthers average 80.7 points per game. They also struggled to generate second-chance points off their misses in these losses.
“They were able to keep us off the offensive glass down the stretch,” said team captain Jack Daly ’18, after Middlebury’s loss to Wesleyan. “That’s been one of our biggest strengths this year and they did a great job of limiting our shot opportunities each possession.”
Daly and the Panthers firmly believe their losing streak is just that: neither emblematic of their whole season nor indicative of their future in the NCAA tournament.
“As Coach has been saying all year,” Daly said, “we just need to stay the course despite the bumps in the road.”
(02/22/18 2:41am)
Behind 50–44 with 9:55 remaining on their home court, No. 14 Wesleyan outscored No. 18 Middlebury 29–15 the rest of the way to defeat the Panthers 73–65 in the Nescac Quarterfinals last Saturday, Feb. 17. The fourth-seeded Cardinals (20–5) defeated the fifth-seeded Panthers (19–6) for the second time this season to move on to the Nescac semifinals, while Middlebury will wait until Monday, Feb. 26, to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Entering this year, Middlebury had defeated Wesleyan 15 games in a row, dating back to the 2004-05 season, but the Cardinals snapped that streak with their 80–70 win on Jan. 6.
Wesleyan’s rise in the Nescac hierarchy has corresponded with the arrival of Joe Reilly as head coach, who has brought Wesleyan from a 1–8 conference record the year before he became coach to a 7–3 record and a tie for first-place in the Nescac this year. Reilly has also guided the Cardinals to the NCAA tournament two of the last three seasons.
Middlebury jumped out to a 4–0 lead in the first half of Saturday’s game, but never led by more than six points in the first half. Wesleyan tied the score on four different occasions in a low-scoring first half. The Panthers turned Wesleyan’s 11 first half turnovers into nine points to take a 32–28 lead into halftime. The Cardinals hung around by hitting six of their 13 three-point attempts, including Antone Walker coming off the bench to drain all three of his shots from beyond the arc.
Out of the locker room, Wesleyan converted an old-fashioned three-point play and made another from beyond the arc in the first minute of action to take a two-point lead, their first of the game. Seven minutes later, behind by one point, Middlebury, driven by seven points from Griffin Kornaker ’21, went on a 9–2 run to retake the lead, 50–44.
Once more, Wesleyan responded, tying the game at 50 before going on what would prove to be the game’s decisive run. From Kornaker’s layup at the 9:55 mark to put Middlebury ahead 50–44, until another Kornaker bucket with 2:08 remaining, the Panthers made only one field goal in six attempts, from Jack Daly ’18 and turned the ball over four times. Wesleyan outscored Middlebury 20–7 in that crucial stretch of almost eight minutes.
As Daly noted, Wesleyan “was able to keep us off the offensive glass down the stretch. That’s been one of our biggest strengths this year and they did a great job of limiting our shot opportunities each possession.”
Entering the game, Middlebury averaged 15.67 offensive rebounds per game, almost two more than any other team in the conference. On Saturday, Middlebury grabbed 12, most of which were team offensive rebounds off blocked shots, and zero as Wesleyan took the lead in this eight-minute stretch. Wesleyan blocked 11 shots as a team, including eight by Jordan Sears.
Kornaker’s basket at the 2:08 mark brought Middlebury within five, 64–59, but Wesleyan made enough free throws in the last two minutes to secure a 73–65 victory and a spot in the Nescac Semifinals.
65 points is Middlebury’s lowest scoring mark this season, for a team that averaged 81 points per game entering the playoff game on Saturday.
A lot of credit goes to Wesleyan, who has had one of the stingiest defenses in the Nescac this season, ranked first in opponent field goal percentage and second in scoring defense.
“Wesleyan is one of the best defensive teams in the country, so we knew it was going to be a battle,” Daly said. “Offensively, we had great movement on the perimeter, but not much attacking and dishing the ball in the last 10 minutes.”
Daly led the Panthers in defeat with 20 points, including 14 in the second half, and six assists. Matt Folger ’20 added 17 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Kornaker scored nine off the bench.
Wesleyan will play top-seeded Amherst this Saturday, Feb. 26, in the semifinals. In the other semifinal game, second-seeded Williams matches up with third-seeded Hamilton.
The Panthers will hold their breath until Monday, Feb. 19, when the NCAA DIII Committee makes its selections for the 64-team tournament field. 43 conference champions receive automatic bids into the tournament, leaving 21 spots for at-large teams. Middlebury is no. 18 in this week’s D3hoops.com national poll. In the final poll before last season’s selections, 13 of the 21 teams to receive at-large bids were not ranked. The Panthers should be in a good position to receive a bid, but no one knows for sure until the committee releases its decisions on Monday, Feb. 26.
The Panthers were as high as No. 5 in the country before three consecutive losses that knocked them out of the first-seed in the Nescac playoffs and then the playoffs themselves. But those losses were on the road to No.13 Hamilton, Amherst, and Wesleyan, three of the teams who tied for first in the Nescac, along with Middlebury and Williams.
“Right now it’s all about keeping a positive mindset, practicing hard every day, and watching as much film as we can to learn from our mistakes,” said Daly. “It’s all about remaining focused over the next couple of weeks. As Coach has been saying all year, we just need to stay the course despite the bumps in the road.”
The Panthers had a stretch like this one earlier in the season, when they lost to three out of five games to No. 12 York, No. 11 Swarthmore and Wesleyan. That time, they responded by rattling off 12-straight victories, including a win over Nescac rival, No. 8 Wesleyan.
If Middlebury is chosen for one of the 21 at-large bids, they will play in the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in 11 seasons. However, unlike last season when the Panthers hosted all four of its tournament games, they will likely be on the road in every game they play. 16 teams host the first two rounds of the 64-team tournament, and as the 18th-ranked team eliminated from the Nescac playoffs early, Middlebury is most likely on the outside looking in at that conversation. Head Coach Jeff Brown is not unfamiliar to playing on the road in the NCAA tournament though. In Middlebury’s first and only trip to the Final Four in the 2010-2011 season, the Panthers received a bye in the first round and won its second game at home, before going on the road to win their next two games to advance to the national semifinals.
At the beginning of the season, the Panthers set their sights on returning to Salem, Maine, to play in the Final Four. Despite this recent losing streak, that goal is still within reach, provided history holds.
Seniors Daly, who has already left his mark on the Middlebury record books, Nick Tarantino ’18 and Adisa Majors ’18 certainly are not prepared to let the season and their careers end. They and the Panthers have won a lot this year, and lost some close games to tough teams. Still, it seems like the final chapter on the 2017-2018 Middlebury men’s basketball team has not been written yet.
(02/15/18 1:51am)
The men’s basketball team’s 10-game winning streak was snapped last Friday, Feb. 9, when the Panthers fell to Hamilton 102–83, in Clinton, New York. In a crucial game for Nescac seeding the next night at Amherst, Saturday, Feb. 10, Middlebury lost to the Mammoths 80–68. After sitting atop the conference standings entering the weekend, the Panthers fell into a five-way tie for first place and lost the tiebreaker because of their 1–3 head-to-head record with the other teams, dropping them all the way down to the fifth seed in the Nescac tournament.
In Middlebury’s loss on Saturday, Jack Daly ’18 became the 23rd Panther in program history to score 1,000 points. Daly has accumulated 1,002 career points, 611 rebounds and 579 assists, and is believed be the first player in Nescac men’s basketball history to tally 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 500 assists.
“Jack is a unique player,” said Head Coach Jeff Brown on Tuesday. “He has the ability to impact a game in so many different ways with his scoring, passing, rebounding and defense. His mental and physical toughness is at an elite level. The fact that Jack is the first NESCAC player to reach 1000 points, 600 rebounds and 500 assists shows the impact that he has had in our success.”
A week earlier in a 75–56 victory over Colby, the Panthers’ star player became Middlebury’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Jake Wolfin ’13’s record of 553 helpers. He leads all of DIII this season with 8.7 assists per game.
Middlebury will travel to Middletown, Connecticut, for their quarterfinal matchup with Wesleyan this Saturday, Feb. 17, which will mark the first time the Panthers have had to play a conference tournament quarterfinal game away from Pepin since 2004.
Middlebury had two chances to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, the first coming on Friday at Hamilton. Middlebury entered the matchup 7–1, while Hamilton was 6–2 in second place. The Continentals led by as many as nine points in the first half after going on an 8–0 run to go ahead 32–23. But the Panthers responded with an eight-point run of their own to pull within one. At the end of the first twenty minutes, Hamilton led 38–32.
Middlebury struggled with turnovers in the first half, giving the ball away 12 times compared to Hamilton’s six.
The Panthers kept pace with Hamilton the first nine and a half minutes of the second half, staying within six. But then the Continental offense took off, hitting four straight threes to take an 11-point lead, 73–62. Middlebury cut the lead to single digits a couple more times, but Hamilton’s attack was too much in the second half. The Continentals scored 64 points in the final 20 minutes to defeat the Panthers 102–83.
Hamilton’s Kena Gilmour scored a career-high 29 points on 10 of 15 shooting, including four of four from three. The Continentals’ shooting from beyond the three-point line carried them to victory, as they knocked down 15 of 24 threes after making only eight per game before Friday.
Eric McCord ’19 led the Panthers with 21 points coming off the bench. Matt Folger ’20 scored 17 while hitting four threes, and Daly added 15 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
With the win, Hamilton moved into a tie for first place with Middlebury, but controlled their own destiny heading into the last game of the regular season by beating the Panthers.
Entering the last game of Nescac play on Saturday, Middlebury, Hamilton and Williams sat atop the Nescac standings, one game ahead of Amherst and Wesleyan.
Ahead 16–14 a little over seven minutes into the first half on Saturday afternoon, Amherst went on a 16–0 run to take a 32–14 lead at the 7:20 mark in the first half. The Mammoths hurt the Panthers with offensive rebounding all afternoon, and half of their 16 points in this game-defining run were second chance opportunities.
Over the final 7:20, Middlebury outscored the Mammoths by three but still trailed 43–28 at halftime.
Middlebury could never get much closer either, only trimming the lead to single digits with around a minute remaining in the game, 75–66. McCord got the Panthers within eight, but Amherst hit four free throws to secure an 80–68 win.
Middlebury shot 35.8 percent from the field and 25 percent from three on an afternoon when the Panther offense never got going, scoring its lowest total of the season. Amherst hurt the Panthers inside, where the Mammoths outscored the Panthers 42–30. The hosts also scored 17 more second chance points than the visiting Panthers, 22–5, and outrebounded the visitors 60–34.
Jack Farrell ’21 scored a career-high 22 points for Middlebury, and Nick Tarantino ’18 also finished in double digits with 11 points. Daly had a tough day from the field, making only two of 15 shots on the afternoon when he scored his 1,000th career point.
The Panthers’ hopes at hosting the Nescac semifinals were dashed with the losses to Hamilton and Amherst, and with those hopes also went any playoff game in Pepin Gym. But Middlebury still finished in a tie for first place with a 7–3 record in conference. And as Coach Brown pointed out, “I am going remind our guys that two years ago, we lost our last two regular season games on the road and won the NESCAC Tournament. We will put last week’s results in our rear-view mirror.”
Now fifth-seeded Middlebury will travel to Wesleyan on Saturday, Feb. 17, to play the fourth-seeded Cardinals at 3 p.m. Earlier this season, on Jan. 6, Wesleyan beat Middlebury 80–70 but led by only three with 47 seconds remaining. With the win, the Cardinals snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Panthers dating back to the 2004-05 season.
Wesleyan lost two of its first three Nescac games, but won six of its last seven to finish in the five-way tie for first in the standings.
The Cardinals had the third-stingiest defense in Nescac play, allowing only 65 points per contest. They’re led by junior guard Jordan Bonner, who averages 15.6 points per game, and have four other players averaging at least seven points per game. Senior forward Nathan Krill averages 11.9 points and nine rebounds per game, while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.
The Panthers tip off in Middletown on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
(02/09/18 5:25pm)
“We were really worried that what was going on on the floor and sort of our culture in the building that we were marching a slow death and we didn’t want to be a part of that,” said Koby Altman ’05, the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager and former Middlebury men’s basketball player, on a conference call with reporters yesterday, Feb. 8. Following a 23–8 start to the season, the Cavaliers have gone 8–14 since Dec. 19, and have the second-worst defensive rating in the league during that time. In addition to their struggle on the court, the Cavaliers, as Altman cited, seemed to be falling apart off the court. It was time for change with the team on the brink of collapse leading up to LeBron’s decision to stay in Cleveland or move on.
Altman put it all on the line yesterday and completed a major roster overhaul just before the trade deadline at 3 p.m., trading six players and two draft picks away in return for four players and one pick, as the Cavaliers attempt to right the ship heading into the final third of the season. They continue to operate in a position of uncertainty with LeBron James’ potential departure from Cleveland looming at the end of this season. With James in mind, Altman’s trades reflect his attempts to stabilize the Cavaliers’ defense while keeping a post-LeBron future intact by acquiring younger players more defensive-minded than the veterans they traded away.
After winning the Eastern Conference each of the last three seasons, the Cavaliers’ streak of NBA Finals appearances seems to be in jeopardy this season. By trading for Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Cleveland seems better positioned to return to the NBA finals than they were before yesterday.
This group of four replaces Isaiah Thomas, Dwayne Wade, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Channing Frye, and Iman Shumpert. Thomas, the fourth-runner up in last year’s MVP voting, has struggled immensely offensively and defensively in his 15-game stint in Cleveland after returning from a hip injury. Wade’s age, 36, has caught up with him and was lost amidst Cleveland’s decision to move towards a younger roster. Crowder was a shell of his Boston self, scoring and shooting much worse than last season.
The perimeter upgrades will bring shooting and size to Cleveland’s backcourt. Hill is shooting a career-best 45 percent from three and Hood shoots 39 percent to provide spacing around LeBron. Clarkson will come off the bench behind Hill to lead the second unit, after doing the same in Los Angeles where he started only two games this season but averaged 14.5 points per game in just 24 minutes.
Nance provides help to a very thin Cavalier frontcourt that includes Tristan Thompson, LeBron, Cedi Osman, and injured Kevin Love.
These pieces complement LeBron better than their outgoing players who could not shoot to space the floor for LeBron and contributed a lot to Cleveland’s terrible defense. Hill is a proven versatile defender, Hood is a lengthy wing, and Nance is an athletic big man.
With these trades, Cleveland reinserted itself into the Eastern Conference’s list of contenders. But there may not be enough time for the new-look Cavaliers to gel as a team to win the Eastern Conference. They certainly have no better chance of winning the title than last year, when the Warriors beat them in five games. More than anything else, these moves may signify to LeBron the organization is trying to improve.
Did the Cavaliers hurt their future?
They did trade their 2018 first-round pick in their trade with the Lakers for Nance and Clarkson. In addition to taking on Clarkson’s large contract ($12.5 million next year and $13.4 million the year after), the Cavaliers gave up a first-round pick for Nance. But, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes, the Lakers would never give up Nance without getting a first-round pick back. Whether they should have given up their first-round pick for Nance can be debated and no one has the right answer right now.
Most importantly, the Cavaliers hung onto the Nets pick, which could easily end up being a top-five pick and will be a lottery pick.
Besides their own first-round pick, the Cavaliers did not lose much in future value. It seems extremely unlikely Thomas would return to Cleveland next season, unless something changed dramatically between now and the end of the season. Wade and Frye are too old, and Crowder did not fit in Cleveland. Shumpert has been in trade rumors forever.
The Cavaliers got three talented players who are all 25. Hood is a restricted free agent this offseason, but could be worth paying. Nance is on a cheap contract next season. Clarkson is expensive for the two years after this season, but Cleveland is not able to sign any superstars to pair with LeBron, if he stays, and Kevin Love, barring trades. Without LeBron, who would want to sign with Cleveland? No one good enough for Cleveland to justify spending a significant amount of money on.
Of course, Altman and the Cavaliers hope LeBron stays. He is their best chance of winning the NBA championship in the immediate future. If he stays, something unexpected can happen for them to win another championship.
Adding Hill, Hood, Clarkson and Nance gives them better pieces around LeBron, and Hood and Nance especially could help in the future if LeBron leaves. Cleveland is definitely in much better shape than they were last time LeBron left, when they went 19–63 after going 61–21 in LeBron’s last season.
Altman has made his second big move (or moves) in his tenure as general manager. He entered a difficult position. As soon as he became GM, Kyrie announced he wanted out of Cleveland, leaving Altman tasked with moving Cleveland’s second-most important piece. Without Kyrie, Cleveland stood almost no chance of beating Golden State, even with a completely healthy Isaiah Thomas. The Cavaliers still have a chance of winning the Eastern Conference, probably a better one after yesterday’s trades. Barring a miracle, Cleveland is not going to win a championship this season and their future will rest on LeBron’s decision.
Altman tried to prove to LeBron the front office wants to win this year. But they did not hurt their future with these trades. Most importantly, the Cavaliers did not jeopardize their future at the trade deadline.
(01/24/18 9:59pm)
At the end of December and beginning of January, the men’s basketball team (14–3) seemed a little bit lost, losing three out of five games after starting the season 6–0. But two wins last weekend, a 70–66 defeat of Nescac rival No. 11 Williams on Friday, Jan. 19, in Pepin Gym and an 87–62 win at Pine Manor on Sunday, Jan. 21, extended the No. 10 Panthers’ winning streak to six games and vaulted them to the top spot of the Nescac standings.
The Williams game set-up as monumental rematch of last season’s Nescac championship, which Middlebury won 84–62, and the NCAA Sectional Finals, which Williams won 79–75 at Pepin Gym. The matchup also held important implications for this season’s Nescac standings, since the teams entered the contest tied for second place along with Tufts at 3–1.
Williams built a 21–13 lead early on, but then went cold as Middlebury went on a run to go ahead 25–23 with a little under two minutes left in the half. Tied at 28 on the last possession of the first half, Jack Daly ’18 hit Matt Folger ’20, who sank a three to give the Panthers a lead they would never relinquish.
Ahead 43–38 just over four minutes into the second half, the Panthers started to run away from the Ephs. Their lead grew to as many as 17 points, 66–49, around the seven-minute mark. But then the Ephs fought back and got the deficit to 68–58 with 1:23 left in the second half. Off a missed free throw, Williams’ Bobby Casey hit a three with 53 seconds left, and then Griffin Kornaker ’21 committed an offensive foul to give the Ephs the ball back. Casey hit another three off the ensuing inbounds play, and Middlebury led by just four with 50 seconds remaining.
The Ephs fouled Daly, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Casey knocked down a two-point jump shot inside the paint to make the score 68–66 with 24 seconds. Williams pressed on the inbounds, trying to deny Middlebury the basketball, but Eric McCord ’19 slipped behind the press and Daly found him for a layup and a 70–66 Middlebury lead.
Williams had two more chances to cut into the lead but missed two threes, and Middlebury held onto a 70–66 victory for a crucial Nescac victory over its heated rival.
“Sometimes when you’re down 10 at the end of a game you have more confidence shooting contested threes like they did,” said team captain Nick Tarantino ’18 after the game. “Coach Brown told us to value the basketball and close out hard on their threes. Williams could have given in but they’re a proud and talented team.”
Hilal Dahleh ’19 and Joey Leighton ’20 stepped up to lead the Panthers in scoring with 16 points apiece, for players who averaged just under nine and six points-per-game entering the contest. It was a career-high for Leighton, who came off the bench to hit seven of his 10 shots from the field in 22 minutes. The pair provided needed production from the wings, Middlebury’s most unproven spot on the court.
“With Jack returning at point and the four bigs also coming back, the biggest question mark for us entering the season was who would fill the minutes on the wing,” said Tarantino. “Hilal and Joey have really grown this year and were vital to beating Williams. We become a dangerous when they catch fire from deep and bring intensity on defense.”
Daly scored seven points and assisted on 11 buckets, while McCord added eight points and five rebounds. Folger scored seven points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked four shots.
Defensively, Middlebury held Williams under 36 percent from the field, and the Ephs shot below 40 percent in both halves. The Middlebury bench outscored Williams’ 32–16, and the Panthers controlled the painted area, outscoring the Ephs 40–24 in there.
Tarantino believes the team’s defensive effort against the Ephs was the best it has been all season.
“We communicated very well and really made them work hard to get off open looks,” Tarantino said. “Coach Brown gave us a defensive game plan that we focused on the majority of last week’s practice.”
Brown’s gameplan, coupled with the Panthers’ effort on defense, forced Williams into its worst shooting game of the season.
With the win, along with Hamilton’s 75–49 loss to Amherst and Tufts’ 77–75 defeat at the hands of Bates, Middlebury moved into sole possession of first place in the Nescac at 4–1.
Middlebury was back in action the next day, Sunday, Jan. 21, when it travelled to Pine Manor in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Panthers did not waste any time getting ahead against the Gators, as they raced out to a 12–2 lead within the first five minutes. They continued to add to their advantage and led 44–31 at halftime.
The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders once more in the second half, and their lead ballooned to 27 points at the 15:12 mark in the second half. The Gators cut their deficit in half over the next five minutes, but Middlebury came right back to put them away. The Panthers led by as many as 29 points on the way to an 87–62 road victory.
Daly led scored 18 points, corralled 11 rebounds, and handed out seven assists, all game-highs. With 150 assists this season, Daly is well on his way to breaking his own program record for assists in a season, which he set last year when he handed out 183 helpers. He is currently third on Middlebury’s career assist leaderboard, needing only 30 more to break Jake Wolfin ’14’s record of 553.
Folger added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Panthers, while Jack Farrell ’21 tallied 11 points on four of five shooting.
With the two weekend wins, the Panthers extended their winning to six games, tying their six-game streak to start the season. Tarantino thinks the team is putting the pieces together as it gets deeper into Nescac play.
“We’re starting to see the team hit its stride as the younger guys are feeling more comfortable and older guys are filling their roles,” said Tarantino. “We’ve played quality opponents all this month, and sometimes it takes some bumps in the road in order to learn what it takes to beat a very good team. We’re feeling confident now and are looking forward to closing out our Nescac schedule.”
Middlebury has two more away games in the next week, when it travels to Trinity this Sunday, Jan. 28 and Keene St. on Tuesday, Jan. 30. To stay atop the Nescac, the Panthers will have to beat the Bantams, who are in a three-way tie for sixth in the standings at 2–2. However, Trinity has had one of the stingiest defenses in the conference thus far, allowing the fewest points per game as a team overall and the third fewest in Nescac play.
(01/17/18 9:59pm)
The men’s basketball season can be split into three phases. The first ended with the team’s 91–76 win over previously undefeated No. 16 Skidmore on Friday, Dec. 8. Its second phase occurred over the break, when the Panthers experienced their first road bumps of the season and lost their first three (and only) games so far. Now, the team is in its third phase as they have experienced a resurgence since the beginning of J-term, including Nescac victories over Bates 82–76 on Friday, Jan. 12, and Tufts 78–63 on Saturday, Jan. 13. After this stretch of nine games, Middlebury stands at 12–3 overall and 3–1 in the Nescac, good for a three-way tie in the conference with Tufts and Williams and a half-game behind undefeated Hamilton.
In its final game before winter break, Middlebury travelled to Skidmore and managed to recover from a 38–34 halftime deficit with a monstrous 57-point second half that propelled them to a 91–76 defeat of the Thoroughbreds.
The Panthers’ starting-five led the way offensively, scoring 82 of the team’s 91 points. Jack Farrell ’21 tallied a career-high 22 points, while Nick Tarantino ’18 added 20 and a career-high 17 rebounds. Entering the game, the Panthers ranked second nationally, behind only undefeated Whitman.
After final exams and returning home for break, Middlebury returned to campus for a couple days of practice, before heading south to play in the Washington & Lee Holiday Tournament. In their first game of the tournament, the Panthers faced their second-consecutive undefeated opponent in No. 25 York (Pa.) on Friday, Dec. 29. Down 70–60 with only 4:16 remaining in regulation, the Panthers reeled off a 14–2 run to take a two-point lead with 36 seconds left. York responded with a late layup to tie the game and force overtime.
York jumped out to an eight-point lead in overtime, but Middlebury came right back with an 8–2 spurt to get within two points with 10 seconds left. York then turned the ball over, but Middlebury gave it right back and York sank one free throw to take a three-point lead. Farrell had a look to tie, but his three bounced off the back of the rim. The Panthers lost their first game of the season in overtime to York, 90–87.
Middlebury’s starting five once again did most of the scoring, tallying 73 of the team’s 87 points. Matt Folger ’20 and Jack Daly ’18 led the pack with 22 and 20, respectively.
The Panthers rebounded from its first loss of the season in the consolation game of the Washington & Lee tournament, handling Clarks Summit 81–58. Daly was the only Middlebury scorer in double digits with 16 points on an efficient five-of-eight shooting from the field. He added eight rebounds and six assists.
The following Tuesday, Jan. 2, No. 4 Middlebury returned home to host No. 12 Swarthmore. The Garnet built a 47–32 halftime lead that the Panthers could not recover from, as the visitors came away with a 91–75 victory. Folger scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Daly and Eric McCord ’19 both added 12 points in the Middlebury loss.
Middlebury took a 7–2 record into Nescac play when they travelled to Connecticut for games at Connecticut College on Friday, Jan. 5, and at Wesleyan on Saturday, Jan. 6. The Panthers doubled the Camels’ first half total to take a commanding 46–23 lead into the locker room, and cruised to an 82–60 win in their first conference game. Folger led the way again with 16 points, while five other Panthers scored at least eight points.
In a back-and-forth affair, No. 12 Wesleyan outlasted Middlebury the following night 80–70. Daly scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, and assisted on eight baskets. However, the Cardinals got to the line far more often and shot 28 more free throws in their 10-point victory.
Two days later, on Monday, Jan. 8, Middlebury had another non-conference game at home against Morrisville State. The Panthers won 85–64 with a balanced scoring effort, as Hilal Dahleh ’19, McCord and Adisa Majors ’18 all scored 12 points. Daly made only one shot from the field, but handed out a career-high 14 assists.
On Friday, Jan. 12, Middlebury played its first home Nescac game against Bates. The Bobcats built the largest lead of the contest in the first half when they led 43–31. However, the Panthers scored the last four points of the first half and extended their run into the second half, tying the score at 48. Middlebury went ahead by as many as seven two times, but Bates cut the lead to one, 71–70, with 2:32 left. Folger and Daly closed the game out by scoring Middlebury’s last thirteen points and leading the Panthers to a 82–76 victory.
A game after recording his career-high in assists, Daly scored a career-high 26 points, along with nine rebounds and eight assists. In coming from behind in the second half, Middlebury shot a blistering 64 percent from the field to outscore Bates 47–33.
The next night, the Panthers came from behind once more in Pepin Gym to knock off Tufts, who was previously undefeated in the Nescac, 78–63. Tufts led by as many as ten points in the first half, and took a 38–36 lead into halftime. Middlebury led 52–51 at the 13-minute mark, before going on a 14–0 run to put the game out of the Jumbos’ reach. The Panthers secured a 78–63 win by outscoring Tufts 42–25 in the second half, holding the visitors to only 24 percent shooting in the final twenty minutes.
Middlebury dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Tufts 70–41 and grabbing 33 offensive rebounds. McCord retrieved a career-high 15 rebounds and added 13 points, while Daly scored 16 and Folger tallied 15.
On Jan. 15, Small College Basketball released its Top 100 Watchlist for the 2017–18 Bevo Francis Award, given to the best player from Division II, Division III, the NAIA, USCAA, and NCAA men’s basketball. Daly was named to the watchlist, after averaging 16.4 points, 8.8 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game in Middlebury’s first 14 contests. Daly also recorded what is believed to be the first triple-double in the program’s history. He is also leading the nation in assists per-game with 8.8.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Panthers fell behind in their third straight game, this time to Albertus Magnus in Pepin Gym. At halftime, the Falcons led 36–34. Middlebury took a 57–47 lead with 8:37 left in regulation, and led 64–56 with just under five minutes. But Albertus Magnus scored 10 out of the last 12 points in regulation, including two free throws with 20 seconds left to force overtime.
Tied at 71 with a little over one minute remaining in overtime, Daly scored on a fastbreak layup to put Middlebury ahead for good. The Panthers scored the last six points of the game to outlast Albertus Magnus 77–71.
Daly scored 22 points to lead the Panthers, while Folger, Dahleh, and Joey Leighton ’20 all added nine. With nine assists, Daly brought his career assist mark to 503, becoming the third player in program history to record 500 assists.
Middlebury returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 20, when it hosts Williams in an anticipated matchup between Nescac rivals. Last season, Williams beat Middlebury in the regular season, Middlebury got revenge in the Nescac championship game, but the Ephs got the last laugh in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Their rankings once they come out and records. On Sunday, Jan. 21, the Panthers travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to face non-conference opponent Pine Manor.
(12/07/17 12:12am)
In their only game of the week, men’s basketball ran past Plattsburgh State 92–68 on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The Panthers, who climbed up to second in the national poll, moved to 5–0, entering their matchup with No. 16 Skidmore on Friday, Dec. 8.
Middlebury took an early 15–4 lead in the first ten minutes of the first half on Tuesday, led by stout defense and some cold shooting by Plattsburgh State. The Cardinals made only two of their first 17 shots. The Panthers extended their first half lead to as many as 14 points when they took a 37–23 lead with 1:58 left, but Plattsburgh St. ended the half on a 7–1 run to cut the deficit to eight.
The Cardinals continued to creep closer to the Panthers out of the break, scoring the first four points to make it a four-point game. Middlebury responded with a 21–3 run to put the Cardinals in a hole they could not climb out of. After a tough first half when he made only two of his eight shots from the field, Matt Folger ’20 heated up in that stretch, going on a 9–0 run of his own.
The Panthers extended their lead to as many as 27, but the game remained pretty even and ended in a 91–68 Middlebury victory.
Middlebury got going from deep and hit nine of their 18 three-point attempts in the second half, including three from Griffin Kornaker ’21. Kornaker made his first appearance in the blue and white, after suffering a preseason injury and sitting out the first four games of the season.
He was one of five Panthers in double figures on Tuesday, finishing with 11 points, while Daly and Folger both scored a game-high 14. Daly added nine assists and eight rebounds, and Folger tallied his second double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. Jack Farrell ’21 scored a career-high 12 points on five of six shooting, and Hilal Dahleh ’19 tallied 13 points on five of seven shooting.
Next up for the Panthers is the Skidmore game on Friday, Dec. 8 at Saratoga Springs, New York. The Thoroughbreds have proven to be a tough challenge in year’s past. Last year, Middlebury eked out a 72–71 victory, but the season before, Skidmore won 82–77. Three season ago, Middlebury won by one as well, 57–56.
This season, both teams enter the matchup undefeated, Middlebury at 5–0 and Skidmore at 6–0.
(11/29/17 11:59pm)
The women’s basketball team hit the road for its first four games of the season and won all four, taking two wins at the Emerson Tip-Off Classic on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 18 and 19, then defeating Johnson St. 74–27 on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and Clarkson 53–49 on Sunday, Nov. 26.
Middlebury opened its season at the Emerson Tip-Off Classic against the host, Emerson.
The Panthers jumped out to 10–0 lead and led 23–14 at the end of the first quarter. Thereafter they would only add to their lead by outscoring the Lions 19–5 in the second quarter to take a 43–19 lead into halftime.
Things were relatively even in the second half, and Middlebury easily moved to 1–0 on the season with an 80–55 victory. Sarah Kaufman ’18 led the team in scoring with 12 points, while Sabrina Weeks ’18 and Lily Kuntz ’20 both added ten off the bench.
In their second game of the quasi-round robin tournament, the Panthers shut down Mount Saint Mary, winning its second game 59–34. The Knights shot only 24 percent from the field, only making 10 field goals, while turning the ball over 24 times.
Once again, the Panthers got contributions off the bench as Betsy Knox ’20 scored a game-high 12 points. Colleen Caveney ’19 added nine en route to being named the classic’s Most Outstanding Player.
Next, the Panthers travelled to play at Johnson St. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, where they dominated once more to come away with a 74–27 victory. After the first half, Middlebury led 50–9.
In another balanced effort, Caveney tallied 12 points on four of five shooting in only 11 minutes, and Weeks added 12 points off the bench as well. No Middlebury player saw more than 17 minutes of action in the contest.
The Panthers’ competition got much tougher in their final matchup of the four-game slate at Clarkson on Sunday, Nov. 26.
After one quarter, the score was tied at 15, but Middlebury surged ahead, outscoring the Golden Knights by nine points in the second quarter to take a 31–22 lead into the locker room.
Clarkson responded in the third quarter by cutting the lead to two entering the final quarter.
Middlebury went on a 5–0 run to go ahead 47–40, but Clarkson came right back with a 6–0 run of its one to make it a one-point game with 3:39 remaining. The teams traded baskets around the two minute mark, and Middlebury held off Clarkson over the last two minutes to secure a 53–49 victory.
Alex Huffman ’19 scored the Panthers’ last four points and secured the rebound on Clarkson’s three-point attempt that would have tied the game at 52 with 15 seconds left.
No Panther scored in double figures, but 10 chipped in with Maya Davis ’20 and Catherine Harrison ’19 leading the way with eight points.
Neither team shot particularly well, as the Panthers finished at 31 percent from the field and the Golden Knights at 24 percent.
Middlebury will return to action when it travels to Colby-Sawyer on Friday, Dec. 1. They return home to play Plattsburgh St. on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
(11/29/17 11:57pm)
The eighth-ranked men’s basketball team swept its first four games of the season for the first time in four years, highlighted by winning its own tournament the weekend before Thanksgiving before winning two games on the road over break.
In the first tournament ever hosted by the men’s basketball team, the Panthers swamped Fitchburg St. 111–72 on Friday, Nov. 17, and dismissed Wentworth 74–58 on Saturday, Nov. 18, to win the tournament. Then, Middlebury went on the road to beat Johnson St. 84–77 on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and Endicott 78–67 on Sunday, Nov. 26.
Jack Daly ’18 led the way for the Panthers in all four wins, averaging 19.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game so far this season and recording what is believed to be the first triple-double in program history in the season-opener against Fitchburg St.
Middlebury came out firing in their season-opener at home in Pepin Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 17.
Midway through the first half, the Panthers already held a 36–16 lead over Fitchburg St. And at the end of the first half, Middlebury led 62–27. The team shot 60 percent from the field, including eight of 12 from beyond the arc, and made 18 of 24 free throws, while the Falcons shot only 24 percent from the field.
The second half was much closer as Fitchburg St. shot the ball much better in the second half, but Middlebury was up by enough of a margin that it didn’t matter, as they won very comfortably by the final score of 111–72.
Along with Daly’s triple-double of 10 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, Matt Folger ’20 led the Panthers in scoring with 17 on six of nine shooting and Eric McCord ’19 added 15 off the bench on a perfect seven of seven from the field. All in all, it was a balanced effort for the Panthers, as five players scored in double digits and every player on the roster played and scored.
As a team, the Panthers shot 56 percent from the field and knocked down 12 of their 23 three point attempts. They also assisted on 27 of their 36 baskets.
“Our motto on offense is ‘one more’ and that means we make the extra pass to get a great shot instead of a good shot,” said Daly of the Panthers’ offensive success on Friday. “Our success on offense stems from our passing and everyone’s selflessness. No one cares who gets the credit as long as we put the ball in the hoop. We are playing our up-tempo style to get easy points and look to tire the opponents out. It’s a lot of fun playing on a team that averages 20 assists per game and people take pride in sharing the ball.”
In the championship game of the Middlebury Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 18, Middlebury’s offense cooled from its white-hot pace on Friday, but the Panthers still handled Wentworth 74–58 to win the tournament.
Ahead by only one point with 6:19 remaining in the first half, the Panthers rattled off an 11–2 run over the next three minutes to take a 10-point lead, which was where they stood at halftime leading 38–28.
Wentworth cut the lead to seven points twice in the second half but could never get it lower than that, and the Panthers rode to the 74–58 win. Daly helped seal the Middlebury victory with 20 second-half points on seven of eight shooting, on his way to a career-high 25 points. For his efforts, Daly was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Folger joined Daly on the all-tournament team, adding 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on Saturday. Adisa Majors ’18 also chipped in 14 points on seven of nine from the field and seven rebounds in the win.
After shooting over 50 percent from three-point range against Fitchburg St., the Panthers made only 29 percent of their three-point attempts against the Leopards. Still, the Panthers shot 50 percent from the field and held Wentworth under 60 points and to 36 percent shooting.
“When the shots aren’t falling, we just have to make sure our defense is executing,” Daly said. “We gave up under 60 points against Wentworth, so I’m confident that if we can do that then we will win the game. Coach has been preaching that we must bring intensity, energy and passion to the defensive side.
“We can’t expect perfection this early in the season, but it’s been a great start to the season going 4–0.”
After two days off, Middlebury went on the road for its first away game of the season at Johnson St. on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The Badgers went ahead 16–14 7:19 into the first half, but the Panthers went on a 15–0 run over the next six minutes to take a thirteen-point lead. Middlebury’s lead grew to as great as 17 points, and the Panthers went into the locker with a 44–27 lead.
The Panthers extended their lead to 21 in the first four minutes of the second half, but then the Badgers started to slowly chip away, cutting Middlebury’s lead to as little as eight with just over seven minutes left in the contest. Middlebury responded with a 6–0 spurt, and the lead never fell below 10 until the Badgers hit a shot in garbage time that made the final score 84–77 in Middlebury’s favor.
The pair of Daly and Folger led the Panthers once more. Daly tallied 24 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and eight assists, while Folger added 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Marqwon Wynn kept the Badgers in the contest by scoring a game-high 29 points, including 17 in the second half.
Middlebury aimed to start 4–0 for the first time in four seasons when it took to the court at Endicott on Sunday, Nov. 26. Last season, the Panthers hosted Endicott on the Sunday after Thanksgiving with a 3–0 record too, but fell to the Gulls 93–89. The Panthers got their revenge in the NCAA Tournament Sectional Semifinal, when they routed the Gulls 89–60. Adding to the intrigue, Endicott entered the contest 2–0 after upsetting No. 7 Babson on its home-court two days prior to its matchup with the Panthers.
This time around, Middlebury would not be denied a 4–0 start, fueled by an 11–0 run to end the first half to take a 38–23 lead into the break. The Panthers extended their lead to 20 in the first five minutes of the second half, but once again, Endicott chipped away at their lead until it was just six with over six minutes to go. Middlebury responded with five quick points, and the game never got any closer, ending in a 78–67 road victory for the Panthers.
“The two games against Johnson St. and Endicott were road games and for the new guys that’s a tough environment to play in,” Daly said. “It’s a learning process at this point in the season and I thought they all did a tremendous job in handling themselves and keeping their composure. We expect teams to make runs on their home court, so it’s important how we handle those runs and in both games we did a great job of answering. A road win is never easy, so to be 2–0 on the road so far is great.”
Daly led the Panthers in scoring with a game-high 19 points and almost had his second triple-double of the season, coming up one rebound and one assist short. Fellow captain Nick Tarantino ’18 tallied a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Hilal Dahleh ’19 added a career-high 18 points on six of seven shooting, including 4 of five from three-point range.
Endicott’s Keith Brown entered the contest leading the NCAA in scoring with 41.5 ppg, including 45 in the Gulls’ upset victory over Babson, but scored only 15 on 5–13 shooting against Middlebury.
“Coach devised a great defensive plan and we executed it perfectly,” Daly said. “He had five turnovers, and we limited his touches. The coaching staff put us in a great position to slow him down. The rotations were great which was a crucial part in slowing him down.”
Middlebury will return to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 5, when it hosts Plattsburgh St. (0–2) in its final home game before final exams. The two teams last met two seasons ago, when the Panthers defeated the Cardinals 71–49.