BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Middlebury men's basketball team edged Anna Maria, 99-96, in double overtime on Friday night in the opening round of the Bridgewater State University (BSU) Cave Classic.
With the victory, the Panthers (2-1) advance to the championship game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against Eastern Nazarene, while the Amcats (1-2) take on host Bridgewater State at noon in the consolation contest.
Trailing 10-4 at the 15:07 mark, Middlebury went on a 7-0 run sparked by a three from Sam Stevens to take an 11-10 edge. The Amcats responded, rattling off 15 of the next 17 points, making it 25-13 with 8:07 to go in the first half. Trevian Grenon cashed in on a pair of shots from beyond the arc during the middle of the run. Anna Maria maintained a solid advantage throughout the rest of the stanza, before a jumper from Stevens cut the margin to 39-30 heading into the break.
Out of the intermission, the Panthers slowly chipped away at the deficit, getting within two (45-43) on a layup from Alex Sobel at the 14:42 mark. Grenon extended the Anna Maria advantage with a three-pointer, before Middlebury went on an 8-0 burst capped by a free throw from David Brennan to give the Panthers a 51-48 edge. Trailing 67-61, Middlebury had a seven-point spurt to regain the lead (68-67) with 4:08 remaining. The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch before the Amcats took a 74-70 lead with a free throw at the 2:36 mark. Back-to-back layups from Panther Jaden Bobbett in the final minutes tied the game at 74 points apiece, forcing overtime.
Middlebury carried its momentum into the first extra frame, rattling off nine unanswered points to take an 83-74 advantage with 3:14 showing on the clock. Anna Maria responded, cutting the deficit to two (83-81) on a layup from Kennedy Minix-Rogers. A trio of charity tosses from Brennan extended the Panther lead to 86-81 with 54 seconds left. The Amcats wouldn't go away, knotting the game at 86 points after a three from Brenon and a layup from Jakai Alexandre. Stevens cashed in on a pair of tosses at the line, but Minix-Rogers made a jumper to tie the game 88-88 and force a second extra session.
The second overtime was close, as every time Middlebury took a three-point edge, the Amcats responded. A layup by Jackson Pitcher gave the Panthers a 97-94 lead with 2:04 remaining. Anna Maria cut the deficit to one (97-96), but Stevens converted a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining to lift Middlebury to the 99-96 victory.
Stevens led the Panthers with a double-double, scoring 26 points and pulling down 10 boards. Noah Osher had 22 points, while Brennan had a game-high 18 rebounds and three steals. Sobel pulled down 16 boards, led all players with four blocks and chipped in with 10 points. Bobbett registered 16 points during the contest with three steals.
Alexandre led the Amcats with 26 points and seven rebounds, while registering a game-high five steals. Grenon had 19 points, Minix-Rogers scored 14, while Ralph Grasso Jr. chipped in with 12.
Story courtesy of Middlebury College Office of Athletic Communications