MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Dylan Sinnickson matched a career-high with 27 points to lead Middlebury past an upset-minded Lyndon in a non-league contest in Pepin Gym.

The Panthers improved to 16-6 on the season overall while the Hornets dropped to 8-13. Lyndon returns home to host a pair of game this weekend, hosting Husson on Friday and Maine Maritime on Saturday.
          
The Hornets got out to an early 7-1 lead as David Johnson (Washington, D.C.) – who scored his 1,000th career point in the contest – nailed a three, followed by four points from Rontrez Purcell (Washington, D.C.). Middlebury's Matt St. Amour made it a 7-4 deficit on a three-pointer at 15:58 before Sinnickson scored the next eight points.  The game's leading scorer sandwiched a lay-up between three-pointers, giving the Panthers a 12-7 lead at 13:55.

The advantage grew to 27-20 on a traditional three-point play by Adisa Majors at 6:32, before Lyndon went on a 13-3 run. Avery King (Pawtucket, R.I.) hit a three-pointer during the spurt to make it a one-point deficit before baskets by Eric Vargas (Lowell, Mass.) and Robert Rouelle (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) gave the Hornets a 33-30 lead with just over four minutes to play, and later took a 43-39 lead into the break.
          
St. Amour gave Middlebury an early lead in the second half, scoring the first six points of the frame, opening with a traditional three-point play and a downtown trifecta at 18:50, setting the score at 45-43 in favor of the Panthers. King got the lead right back for Lyndon with another triple, before Middlebury put together a 12-4 run, highlighted by eight points from Sinnickson, including a lay-up at 14:02, matching the hosts' largest lead of the game at 57-50.
          
The Hornets battled back, cutting the Panther lead to 61-6o on a three-pointer by Johnson at 10:07, as he later tied the game at 63-63 on a lay-up at 7:24. Sinnickson countered with a jumper as the Panthers maintained a slim edge over the next four minutes before Jake Brown sank a basket and set up a dunk for Sinnickson at 2:57. The dunk gave Middlebury a 77-67 lead. The lead grew to 13 points after a St. Amour free throw at 1:32 and remained in double-digits down the stretch as the Panthers sank their final six free throw attempts.
          
Sinickson finished with a game best 27 points and 11 rebounds, while St. Amour added 19 points on 5-6 shooting, including 3-4 from behind the arc. Matt Daley nabbed 11 rebounds while scoring 11 points, as Jake Brown chipped in eight points and dished out eight assists.
          
Johnson finished with a team-high 21 points, on 7-8 shooting from the floor, while King added 18, including three three-pointers. Purcell finished with 16 points, while Jose Berroa (Lawrence, Mass.) collected a team-high eight caroms.
        
Middlebury out-rebounded Lyndon 50-29 and had a decisive advantage from the line, making 29-36 free throw attempts compared to 11-12 for the Hornets.