BOX SCORE

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Leading 38-25 at intermission, the Middlebury College men's basketball team went on a 15-2 run to open the second half en route to a 76-65 win over Bowdoin Friday night at Pepin Gym. The eighth-ranked Panthers improve to 18-2 and 5-1 in NESCAC play, while the Polar Bears drop to 11-9 overall and 3-3 in conference action.

Bowdoin jumped out to an early 14-6 lead, highlighted by three buckets from Mark Phillips from the low post. Middlebury responded with a 14-3 run, capped by a three from Jake Wolfin at 9:53 for a 20-17 advantage. After a jumper by Bowdoin's Ryan O'Connell cut the lead to 20-19, the Panthers closed out the half on an 18-6 run for a 38-25 lead at the break. Tim Edwards added a three, a pair of free throws and a lay-up during the run.

During the decisive run to open the second half, Wolfin added a pair of threes along with a dazzling feed off the backboard that Jamal Davis dunked home. Trailing 53-27 with 15:32 left, the Polar Bears rallied with a 27-11 run, cutting the gap to 64-54 with 6:45 left. O'Connell and Phillips keyed the comeback effort with eight and six points respectively.

In the remaining minutes, the Panthers maintained their double-digit advantage, holding the Polar Bears to 3/10 shooting, while hitting 4/8 from the floor and 4/5 from the line.

Four Panthers hit double figures, with Wolfin's 14 points leading the way, while Davis added a dozen. Edwards added 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, both game-highs, as Andrew Locke chipped in 10 points and blocked a game-high five shots. Phillips paced Bowdoin with 18 points on 8/14 shooting, as O'Connell scored 14 and had a team-high eight rebounds.