Middlebury College forward Alex Sobel scored 28 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds, and the Panthers posted a 67-59 NESCAC win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Middlebury's Pepin Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
With their second conference loss in as many days, the Continentals fell to 6-6 overall and 0-2 in the NESCAC. Hamilton looks to bounce back at home against the Ithaca College Bombers on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
 
Middlebury improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference with its ninth straight win. The Panthers led for the last 30 minutes despite shooting 22.6 percent from the floor in the second half. Middlebury helped offset its poor shooting performance by going 18-for-25 at the free-throw line after halftime.
 
The NESCAC showdown was a back-and-forth affair in the early going. Led by guard Hank Morgan '25, Hamilton shot the ball well from mid-range. Morgan finished with a team-high 14 points and three assists and continued his strong rookie campaign for the Continentals.
 
After three ties and three lead changes in the first 10 minutes, Middlebury held a narrow 18-17 lead with 9:21 remaining in the first half. The Continentals made just two more field goals the rest of the half and Middlebury finished with a 15-6 run for a 33-23 lead at the break.
 
Hamilton opened the second half with a renewed sense of defensive intensity, forcing the Panthers into turnovers and missed shots. Morgan and Christian McDaniel '24 contributed two steals apiece as the Continentals finished with seven takeaways.
 
Forward Patrick Mogan '23 shined on both ends early in the half, scoring six straight points and adding a block as Hamilton quickly cut Middlebury's lead to 34-29 with 15:19 left. Mogan stuffed the stat sheet for the Continentals, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
Hamilton didn't get any closer the rest of the way, and Middlebury staved off the Continentals' high-pressure defense by attacking the offensive glass and getting second-chance opportunities. Sobel grabbed a whopping 10 of his team's 16 offensive rebounds. Many of those second-chance opportunities led to free throws. The Panthers finished with 32 attempts as opposed to nine for Hamilton.
 
Forward Eric Anderson '22 recorded his second double-double this season with 12 points – all in the second half -- and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Continentals. Anderson leads Hamilton in scoring with 13.7 points per game.
 
Sam Stevens drilled four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for Middlebury. Noah Osher hit multiple tough shots, was an efficient 5-for-6 at the free-throw line and ended up with 11 points.