Willimantic, CT — The State University of New York at New Paltz went up against No. 9 nationally ranked Middlebury Thursday night in the opening round of the Eastern Connecticut Holiday Tournament.
 
The Hawks (7-3 overall, 5-0 SUNYAC), down by as many as 22 in the game and never led in the contest, clawed their way back down the stretch to create a one-possession game with five minutes to go. However, the Panthers, riding their best player in senior forward Alex Sobel, kept SUNY New Paltz at bay and came away with eventual, 77-61 victory to move onto the championship round Friday against the hosting Warriors.
 
"We had a chance after storming back from 20 down to make it a one possession game late," said Hawks coach Keith Kenney. "We changed our defensive plan at halftime to not double Sobel and guard their guards who were great in the first half. Then late in the game we had two chances to get rebounds and come down to tie, but we didn't get it done. We ran out of gas and Sobel made some big plays. He's a great player."
 
SUNY New Paltz was down by 20 at halftime with Middlebury shooting efficiently from the floor, making 21-of-31 attempts from the field, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range. A tough rebounding team, the Panthers held the advantage on the glass, 18-11 in the opening 20 minutes as it never relinquished the lead.
 
 
SUNY New Paltz held Sobel in check in the first half to only four points and four rebounds, but Noah Osher became the catalyst on a deep Middlebury squad, as he had 15 points at the half thanks to 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
An 11-point run to open up the second half helped the Hawks get within seven, thanks to a tip-in by Isaiah Bien-Aise. Rylan Blondo then cut the deficit to five after earning a trip to the foul line where he made both with 11 minutes to go. The Panthers kept their distance until Blondo came up with a huge 3 at the top of the arc to get the score to 61-59 with just more than five minutes to play, creating a one-possession game for the first time since the opening minutes .  
However, Sobel answered for Middlebury, as the 6-foot, 8-inch, 230-pound forward worked his way into the paint for three-straight baskets in the lane to lengthen the cushion to eight once more, which proved as the difference as the Panthers hung on from there.
 
"I'm proud of our comeback but to be a championship team we have to play teams like this," Kenney said. "I scheduled our non-league games against great teams for this reason. Middlebury is ninth and we played No. 2 Williams later this season."
 
Sobel scored 12 of his final 16 points in the second half, but the Hawks limited Middlebury offensively to just 28 second-half points and 35.5 percent shooting as a team from the floor. However, the difference came on the glass, as the Panthers continued proving themselves as one of the best rebounding teams in Division III, as they entered the contest second-best in the country at a nearly 48 per game, and on Thursday pulled down 44 boards to SUNY New Paltz's 30.
 
Blondo led the Hawks with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and five steals with Jonah Bevacqua following with 11 points, four rebounds, one block and a steal. Bien-Aise ended with 10 points, three rebounds and a steal, while St. Lucia finished with nine points, four rebounds, three steals a block and team-leading five assists. Frazier chipped in with 10 points off the bench with five rebounds.
 
The Hawks conclude the Eastern Connecticut Holiday Tournament Friday in the consolation game against New Jersey City University at 12 p.m.

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