MIDDLEBURY, VT – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team traded baskets down the stretch with a hot-shooting Middlebury side but fell 81–75 at Pepin Gymnasium.

RPI shot 52.1 percent from the field and buried 13 three-pointers, paced by Dylan Matchett's team-high 21 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from deep, yet the Panthers' early barrage proved just enough to hold off a late push.

Middlebury led 48–41 at halftime behind 64 percent first-half shooting with eight threes, however RPI trimmed it repeatedly after the break, but the hosts answered with timely perimeter makes to keep a narrow cushion in the final minutes.

Deppe added 11 points and three steals and White supplied 10 points, including a pair of threes. Billy Feeks and Kellen Driscoll chipped in nine apiece, with Driscoll grabbing a team-best five rebounds as RPI's bench contributed 19 points. 

The Engineers went 13-for-20 from beyond the arc (65.0%) and finished with 22 points in the paint, and held Middlebury to just 33.3 percent from the floor after halftime. The Panthers countered with 13 threes of their own and 43 bench points, led by Dominick Ducree's 20. 

RPI will look ahead to the start of Liberty League play with a Friday home date with Clarkson.