Men’s Basketball Will Host Continentals

It was the best of times and the worst of times for the men’s basketball team (16-8, 6-4) last weekend. The Panthers entered the final weekend of NESCAC play with their playoff plans far from settled, needing to win at least one of two final road matchups – against Trinity on Friday, Feb. 14 and Amherst on Sunday, Feb. 16 – in order to host a playoff game.

With the Panthers claiming a 53-45 victory over Trinity on Friday and both Bowdoin and Hamilton dropping conference games on the same night, Middlebury locked up the third seed for the NESCAC tournament and a home-court in the first round. By Sunday night, however, Middlebury had suffered an 84-67 defeat at top-seeded Amherst, a loss that did not injure the Panthers’ seeding but does not bode well for the team’s NESCAC championship hopes and NCAA tournament prospects.

Trinity (14-10, 5-5) boasts the NESCAC’s second-stingiest defense and nation’s second-highest rebounding margin, and held Middlebury to their fewest points scored in a win all season in the Panthers’ 53-45 victory.

Both teams had ugly shooting nights. Middlebury shot 33 percent from the field, the same percentage from beyond the arc and 59 percent from the free throw line, stats that the Bantams were not even able to match.

Trinity, meanwhile, shot a measly 30 percent from the field, 11 percent from deep and 50 percent from the charity stripe.

“We struggled a little bit offensively against Trinity,” Head Coach Jeff Brown said. “We were very fortunate that we defended them really well and we were able to get a little bit of a lead and a cushion. We showed a lot of grit and a lot of toughness on the defensive end.”

The Bantams took a 4-3 lead less than four minutes into the game, but two free throws from Dylan Sinnickson ’15 gave Middlebury the lead, and the Panthers never looked back. Middlebury finished the first half on a 7-0 run, paced by Joey Kizel ’14 who hit a three-pointer and finished a lay-up, sandwiched around a lay-up from Hunter Merryman ’15.

Middlebury then opened the second half on an 8-0 run with a pair of threes from Sinnickson and Merryman and two free throws from Kizel, giving the Panthers their largest lead at 36-17 with 16:28 remaining.

The Bantams cut the deficit to six in the last minute of the contest, but missed a three-point attempt with 31 seconds remaining. Kizel corralled the rebound, and James Jensen ’14 knocked down two free throws to make it a 53-45 game to seal the victory.

Kizel paced the Panthers, recording a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and logged 38 minutes on the floor. Merryman was also effective, adding five boards to his 12 points. Jack Roberts ’14 made life difficult for the Bantams, rejecting five attempts.

On Sunday afternoon in LeFrak Gymnasium, the Lord Jeffs of Amherst (21-3, 9-1) protected their home court from the visiting Panthers, outscoring Middlebury by 21 points in the second half en route to an 84-67 win.

Middlebury actually surprised seventh-ranked Amherst in the first half and entered the break up 34-30. Again, the Panthers struggled from the field in the first 20 minutes, making just 2-12 three-pointers, but dominated the boards (24 to Amherst’s 17) and shot 86 percent from the line to keep the Lord Jeffs at bay. Kizel had a strong first half, posting nine points and six boards.

The second half opened inauspiciously for the Panthers, who turned over the ball just five seconds in. Amherst’s All-American guard Aaron Toomey – relegated to just seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble – took over in the second half with 17 points.

Combined, the Lord Jeffs made 67 percent of their shots in the second half and knocked down eight three-pointers. The Panthers again shot poorly in the second period, hitting just 36 percent of their chances. Sinnickson got hot in the second 20 minutes, scoring 12 of his team-leading 18 points after the break, but it was too little too late for Middlebury.

“They really kind of kicked it up a notch,” Brown said. ”They exploited us a little bit with their transition offense. We just really struggled to capture the momentum we had at the end of the first half.”

The game sealed home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament for Amherst, who will host the semifinals and finals as long as they win their first-round matchup with the Colby Mules on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Middlebury will host a quarterfinal matchup against Hamilton on the same day, a team which beat the Panthers just three weeks ago.

“I think it begins and ends with [Hamilton sophomore] Matt Hart,” Brown said, “He’s going to be at the forefront of our preparation this week. I think we’re going to try several different people, certainly James Jensen being one of them, to try to slow him and try to get him out of rhythm a little bit.”

If the Panthers win against Hamilton, they will travel to Amherst with a chance to play their way into the NCAA tournament by winning the conference playoffs. Barring a NESCAC title, Middlebury will likely miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006-2007.
Brown does not fear a return to Amherst College or anywhere else that the finals may be played.

“I feel good about it,” Brown said, “I feel equally confident playing on the road as opposed to playing at home.”