WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – In a game featuring 17 lead changes, Alex Sobel helped No. 9 Middlebury College break the sixth and final tie in the final eight minutes, and Sam Stevens sank two free throws with 5.3 seconds left that lifted the Panthers to a 67-62 victory over host Eastern Connecticut State University in the championship game of the ECSU Holiday Invitational Friday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Both teams were coming off double-digit victories in Thursday's first round, but neither team led by more than seven points in the title game. Eastern's Dominick Dao (Terryville) tied the game for the final time with  his only three-pointer of the game with just under eight minutes left before the 6-foot-8 inch Sobel, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, followed up a tie-breaking free throw by converting a conventional three-point play off a rebound by David Brennan that gave Middlebury (10-1) the lead for good on the way to its  fifth straight win.

Dao converted one of two free throws with 19 seconds left that pulled Eastern to within three, and the Warriors had an opportunity to tie the game but missed a three-point attempt after forcing a turnover in the backcourt. All-tournament selection Sam Stevens grabbed the rebound of the miss, then sealed the win by draining four free throws over the final 11 seconds.

Sobel followed up his near triple-double effort (falling two assists shy) in a first-round win over SUNY New Paltz with game-highs of 26 points (8-of-9 FG/10-of-15 FT), ten rebounds and four blocked shots against Eastern (4-8), which had advanced to the final with Thursday's victory over New Jersey City University. Eastern post players Quinton Lott (Bridgeport) and Rakesh Tibby (East Hartford) both fouled out trying to stop Sobel, Tibby with 8:39 left and Lott with 10.6 seconds remaining.

Sobel, a fourth-team D3hoops.com All-America last year and second-team pre-season pick this season, averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds in two tournament games to go along with nine assists, eight blocked shots and three steals. He was 16-of-20 from the floor and 10-of-17 from the stripe.

The 6-foot-5 inch Stevens followed with 15 points (6-of-7 FT) against Eastern, with the 6-foot-6 inch Brennan matching Sobel with ten rebounds that helped the Panthers to a +10 advantage on the boards and a +12 margin in the tournament.

First-year guard Evan Flaks of Middlebury, added nine points in the title game, two coming on a key jumper set up by Sobel's defensive rebound that pushed a one-point Middlebury lead to three and an eventual five-point lead with 3:33 left.

Stevens averaged 17 points in the tournament on 10-of-20 field goal shooting and 11-of-12 marksmanship from the line. Flaks averaged 11 points in two games, shooting 10-of-16 from the floor.

Senior guards Tyreice Woods (Hartford) and Jalen Williams (Simsbury) represented Eastern on the all-tournament team. Woods scored 15 of his 17 points against Middlebury in the first half that sparked the Warriors to a one-point halftime lead, and Williams had 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. Woods also had six rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Panthers.

Williams averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the tournament, sinking a team-high six three-pointers. Wood averaged 14 points and four rebounds with a team-high nine assists and five steals.

Third-place game
New Jersey City U. 77, SUNY New Paltz 60

New Jersey City University (7-5) outscored SUNY New Paltz (7-4) by 18 points in the second half by shooting 55 percent from the floor in a 77-60 victory that handed the Hawks their second tournament loss that followed a six-game winning streak.

New Paltz, which scored the first 13 points of the second half in Thursday's loss to Middlebury, erased an eight-point deficit in the first half to lead by as many as four points and by a point at the break.

In the second half, Kayton Darley and Avante Gilbert combined for 21 points and Darley and Yvens Monfleury each had six rebounds that helped the Gothic Knights finish with a +25 advantage on the boards in the game. The team's 19 rebounds led to 21 second-chance points.

Darley led four double-digit scorers with 17 points, Gilbert and all-tournament pick Ryan Savoy adding 14 each and Jason Battle 12. Savoy also grabbed nine rebounds, Monfleury eight and Darley and in his first game at NJCU, Will Brown seven. Lucas Seyoum led New Paltz with 18 points and Tyreik Frazier with seven rebounds.

In the tournament, Savoy averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds with six blocked shots. He was 12-of-17 from the floor.