BRUNSWICK, Maine – Ray Cuevas hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 15.1 seconds remaining as the Bowdoin men's basketball team won a 77-76 thriller over Middlebury on Friday evening in Morrell Gymnasium. The win lifts the Polar Bears to 14-7 (4-3 NESCAC) on the year while the Panthers fall to 8-13 (1-6 NESCAC).
 
Game Highlights

• In a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle throughout the night, Middlebury built a nine-point halftime lead (40-31) behind a stunning 26-point, first-half performance by Evan Flaks.
• Another jumper by Flaks pushed the Middlebury lead to 11 points immediately out of the halftime break, but a pair of Ben Chilson three-pointers sparked a 15-0 Polar Bear run, capped by an Alex Halpern trifecta, to give Bowdoin a 46-42 edge with 15 minutes to go.
• After briefly giving the lead back to Middlebury, Bowdoin used an 11-0 surge, ending on five straight points from Benedek Maly, to gain a nine-point cushion, 57-48, with 11:30 remaining.
• The Polar Bears led by as many as 12 points with 6:30 to go, but Middlebury wouldn't go away and used a 12-2 run to cut the Bowdoin edge back to two points, 70-68, with 3:55 on the clock.
• A few possessions later a Flaks jumper trimmed the lead to 74-73, and after a defensive stop, a Kuba Cwalina three-pointer gave Middlebury a 76-74 lead with less than a minute to play.
• With the shock clock expiring on Bowdoin's next possession, Cuevas came loose at the top of the key and unleashed a three-pointer that gave the Polar Bears a 77-76 lead with 15 seconds left.
• Middlebury had an open look in the closing seconds, but a three-pointer miss gave Bowdoin the dramatic win.

By The Numbers

• Four Bowdoin players saw double figures, led by 17 from Kevin Reeves, who also had six blocks. 4
• Cuevas ended with 14 points while Mason Dawkins added 13 and Ben Chilson had 11.
• Bendek Maly had eight rebounds and nine points while Alex Halpern had eight rebounds and five assists.
• Bowdoin ended at 54% shooting for the game and held Middlebury to 42% from the field. The Panthers stayed close thanks to 17 second chance points and 13 points off Bowdoin turnovers.  
• The game featured eight lead changes and three tie scores.

Up Next

• Bowdoin will return to action Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at home against Williams.