Men's Hoops Uses Big Second Half to Earn Top-25 Road Win Over No. 24 Middlebury

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team used a big second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and earn a top-25 victory on the road, defeating the nationally-ranked No. 24 Middlebury College Panthers, 68-62, in non-conference action Saturday afternoon inside Pepin Gymnasium in Middlebury, Vt. With the victory, the Blue Jays open the first week of the 2023-24 season 2-0, while the Panthers drop their season opener and fall to 0-1 to start the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Knotted at 10-10 with 6:05 elapsed, the Panthers put together a 14-4 run covering 6:58 of play. Capping the output was a layup from junior forward David Brennan (Boston, Mass.), giving Middlebury an eight-point lead (24-14) with 6:57 left before halftime.
• A jumper by senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) brought Saint Joseph to within six (24-18) nearly three minutes later.
• The Panthers answered with a 7-2 spurt, taking their largest advantage of the contest on a pull-up jumper from junior guard Sam Stevens (Mansfield, Mass.) with 1:02 remaining.
• A pair of free throws from junior guard Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.) and a bucket from senior forward Neill Dickey (Atlanta, Ga.) in the final minute brought the Blue Jays to within 31-24 at the halftime stoppage.
• Saint Joseph opened the second half strong, rattling off a 22-8 run over the initial 5:50 of the stanza, and secured a 46-39 lead on a three-point field goal from sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.).
• Middlebury battled back with the next six points, including four from Stevens, to pull within one (46-45) near the midway point of the half.
• Saint Joseph countered with mini spurts over the next few minutes, taking a 61-53 edge on a free throw by freshman guard Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, Md.) with 2:52 left.
• The Panthers wouldn't get any closer than four points twice over the final minutes of the contest, as the Blue Jays knocked down free throws for the final 68-62 score.

UP NEXT

Men's basketball returns home for another challenging matchup, welcoming Nichols College to James A. Calhoun Gymnasium on Tuesday, November 14. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Bison is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in West Hartford, Conn. Tickets to attend Tuesday night's contest can be purchased in advance online by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets. 

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