Men’s Basketball Scores Back-to-Back Wins

The Middlebury men’s basketball team pulled off its second straight win of the week, knocking off No. 3 Williams in a NESCAC contest this past Saturday, Jan. 19. Middlebury led Williams 47-31 nearly five minutes into the game, and concluded with a 12-point, 80-66 victory. 

Co-captain Hilal Dahleh ’19 commented on the momentum: “We were confident after beating a good team in Albertus Magnus. We knew we were looked at as the underdogs, but we didn’t see it that way and were ready to compete as soon as we got off the bus at Williams.”

Jack Farrell ’21 was named NESCAC Player of the Week, and led the game in points and assists at 24 and five, respectively. 

With eight minutes remaining in the game on Saturday afternoon, Farrell netted five points while Dahleh scored a three to help the Panthers regain their double-digit lead.

“The key to our win on Saturday was also our defense. Williams is one of the best teams in the country, with a lot of weapons, so we had to dig in and play a great defensive game. They have a lot of guys who can light it up from behind the arc, but we were able to hold them to just 2/20 from three just by being there on every catch.”

Matt Folger ’20 added 17 points, and co-captain Eric McCord ’19 led the game in rebounds for Middlebury. 

The Panthers will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 27, hosting Trinity at 2 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium. 

“We’re going to build off of the big win and prepare hard for Trinity on Sunday. Ultimately the goal is the same as it always is, which is to win the NESCAC and be playing our best basketball once tournament time rolls around.”

Middlebury has five games remaining in the regular season before the tournament, and all of them are NESCAC games. The team persists with the goal as it always has been: to win the NESCAC Championship.