Middlebury, Vt. - Carrying a slim two-point lead into intermission, Bates College was unable to keep the momentum going in the second half as #5 Middlebury College outscored the visiting Bobcats in the frame, 46-27, en route to the 81-64 NESCAC victory for the Panthers Friday night in Pepin Gymnasium.

In a first half that witnessed eight ties and four lead changes, it would be Bates that controlled the scoreboard at the buzzer before the break as the Bobcats headed into the locker room ahead by a score of 37-35. 

With the score knotted at 30-30 with 4:17 remaining, the road team took off on a seven-point spurt as Elliott Cravitz's (Fy.-Denver, Colo.) three-pointer capped the run at the 1:52 mark,  making it 37-30 Bobcats. Middlebury answered with a three-point of its own, along with a two-point jumper, to slice its deficit to a pair at the half.

A Stephen Ward (Jr.-Boston, Mass.) layup 3:11 into the second tied the contest at 43-43. Middlebury's Noah Osher snapped the stalemate with a pair of successful free throws at 15:59, providing the home team a lead it would not relinquish. The Panthers poured it on from that point, outscoring the Bobcats by a 36-21 margin the rest of the way.

Middlebury, winners of six-straight, moves to 16-2 (5-1 NESCAC) with the triumph while the Bobcats drop to 7-11 (1-4 NESCAC).

Bates' Steph Baxter (Sr.-Worcester, Mass.), coming into the night needing 40 points to achieve 1,000 for his collegiate career, netted a team-best 21 in the setback, hitting 9-of-16 from the floor in 38 minutes. Cam Riley (Sr.-North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) followed with 14 points of his own in 24 minutes off the Bobcats' bench. The aforementioned Cravitz accounted for nine points in his 19 minutes.

Four Panthers hit for double-digits in the scoring column, lead by Alex Sobel and his 23 points. The Middlebury senior also paced the victors with nine boards, seven assists, three steals, and a block.

Things don't get easier for the Bobcats as they now prepare to take on #10 Williams Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m.) in Williamstown, Mass.