By Josh Narotsky,
UR Sports Information Office

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Rochester's men put forth a valiant effort, but the defensive prowess of Middlebury was too much, as the Yellowjackets fell to Middlebury 61-52 in the Sweet 16 at the University of Rochester Palestra. They will take on St. Mary's (Md.) at 7 pm on Saturday, as both schools make their first Elite 8 appearances.

Middlebury entered the game ranked first in the nation in blocked shots, with 7.6 per game, and their talent was showcased, as they nearly doubled their average against the Yellowjackets with a total of 14 blocks in Friday's contest. Middlebury head coach Jeff Brown was keenly aware of the influence that his team's shot blocking had on the game's final outcome.

"Our length and ability was absolutely the difference in the game," said Brown.

Rochester controlled the game in the early going, starting off with a Nate Novosel block 50 seconds into the contest. Mike Labanowski sunk back-to-back threes with 14:55 to go in the first half to give Rochester a 9-6 lead. Two minutes later, it was Nate Vernon with a layup, as the Yellowjackets opened up a 16-10 lead with 12:25 remaining in the first half. Chris Dende came off the bench, and knocked down a three pointer with 8:40 to go, which gave Rochester a 24-19 lead.

Middlebury began to work their way back into the game with a run of their own. Ryan Wholey made a three pointer with 2:55 left in the half to cut the Rochester lead to 26-22. After John DiBartolomeo, who led Rochester with 13 points, and Jamal Davis traded layups, the teams went into the locker room with Rochester leading 28-24. The Yellowjackets held the Panthers to a 37.9% field goal percentage in the first half, and just one three pointer. Rochester coach Luke Flockerzi was impressed with his team's defensive performance in the first half.

"We worked very hard on the glass, and this was one of the better defensive first halves we've played all year," Flockerzi said.

In the second half, the contest began to swing in Middlebury's favor. The Panthers wasted no time getting back into the game, as Jake Wolfin scored 5 points in the first 90 seconds of the second half to give Middlebury a lead which they would not relinquish for the rest of the game at 29-28. Wolfin later recalled the importance of that early run.

"Starting quick in the first two to three minutes in the second half was important to us pulling out a victory, " said Wolfin.

Although Rochester tied the game at 32 on a DiBartolomeo jumper with 15:52 to go, a layup by Joey Kizel, followed by back-to-back three pointers by Wolfin to open up a 43-34 lead for Middlebury with 13:07 to go.

Down, but not out, Rochester clawed their way back. A David Gould layup, followed by a Novosel jumper in the paint with 7:41 to go made the score Middlebury 48, Rochester 44.

However, layups by Ryan Sharry, who was the leading scorer on the evening for the Panthers was 15 points, and Kizel extended the Panthers' lead to 54-45 with 4:41 to go, and their defense held Rochester to one point in a three-minute span to bring Middlebury closer to a victory.

Rochester appeared poised to make a final run, as Labanowski drained a three pointer to cut Middlebury's lead to five, 56-51 with 2:51 to go. With 49 seconds to go and Middlebury leading 57-51, they turned the ball over on a shotclock violation, and the Yellowjackets had one final chance to extend their season. However, Labanowski missed a three with 30 seconds left to seal Rochester's fate