MIDDLEBRUY, Vt. – Ryan Sharry (Braintree, Mass.) scored a game-high 28 points to lead Middlebury College, ranked number-one in the country to a 97-71 win over Castleton State College in non-conference men's basketball action Tuesday evening at Pepin Gymnasium.
 
Sharry, who also grabbed 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double in 10 games, shot 10-for-12 from the field to lead four Panthers in double figures. Joey Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) followed with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Dylan Sinnickson (Sands Point, N.Y.)added 15 on 5-of-7 shooting and Peter Lynch (Westford, Mass.) chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
Mark Comstock (Rutland, Vt.) led Castleton with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Matt Cooney (Washingtonville, N.Y.) added 10 points as the only other Spartan in double figures.
 
Middlebury reeled off 13-straight points early in the first half to turn a tie game into a 21-8 lead with 12:38 remaining on a Sinnickson lay-up. Keith Schneider (Benson, Vt.) answered with a three-pointer for Castleton, but Middlebury maintained a healthy margin over the 10 minutes of play and led 38-29 with 2:53 left in the first half after a Comstock lay-in. It was as close as the Spartans would come, as Middlebury went on a 9-0 run over the next minute, pushing the lead to 18, before settling into a 49-34 margin at the interval.
 
The Panthers controlled the second half, and led by as many as 27 (94-67) with 1:57 remaining before settling in for the 26-point final margin.

Castleton returns to North Atlantic Conference action Thursday at Johnson State. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 pm.