MIDDLEBURY, Vt.--A second half comeback fell short as the Keene State College men's basketball team fell to No. 16 Middlebury College, 89-77 at Pepin Gym on Tuesday night.

Records

• Keene State: 14-6
• Middlebury: 16-3

How It Happened

Ty Nichols, the reigning Little East Conference Player of the Week, led KSC with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year, along with four assists, three steals, and a blocked shot.  Jaquel Edwards was next with 16 points and six boards, while Matt Ozzella had 12 points and Lucas Hammel added 11.

Jack Daly led all players for Middlebury with 23 points, while Matt St. Amour had 20 points, Jake Brown had 14, and Eric McCord had 12.

After Edwards and Nichols knocked down early three pointers for a 6-3 lead, the Panthers went on a 12-4 run capped by a layup by McCord for a 15-10 advantage.  A pair of free throws from Damonte Turner and a layup by Jeff Lunn got the Owls within 20-18 with 8:33 left in the first half, but the Panthers scored 17 of the next 19 points, going up 37-22 on two free throws by Nick Tarantino.  St. Amour scored the final seven points of the half, giving Middlebury a 44-27 lead at halftime.

The Owls started the second half strongly, opening up on a 12-2 run over the first 4:36 of the period, getting within 46-39 on Lucas Hammel's layup.  The Panthers restored a double-digit lead on a three point play by St. Amour, but the Owls hung around, getting back to 59-52 when Nichols found Lunn down low for a layup 9:38 left in the game.   Matt Folger's slam dunk capped a run of six straight points for a 65-52 lead, but Ozzella scored six points in 26 seconds, finishing a three point play, then after Lunn stole the ball from St. Amour, Ozzella sank a three to get the Owls within 65-58 with 7:38 left.

Nichols sank his third three of the game with 2:26 left as the Owls stayed within eight points (78-70), but the Owls could not get closer as Middlebury went a perfect 8-for-8 from the line to nail down the win.

In The Paint

• Middlebury improved to 5-4 all-time against Keene State.  The Owls have not beaten the Panthers in the regular season since a 77-76 win over then No. 1 Middlebury on January 31, 2012.  Keene State had eliminated Middlebury from the NCAA tournament in the second round a year ago.
• Keene State finishes the year with a 7-4 record in non-conference play.
• The Owls had their best performance of the year at the free throw line, making 16 of 18 shots (88.9%), but were outrebounded 51-34, including 13-5 on the offensive glass.  

Up Next

• The Owls resume Little East Conference play with a trip to the University of Southern Maine on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• The Panthers head to Maine for a pair of NESCAC games, starting with a visit to Colby College on Friday night at 7 p.m.