Panthers fall short of NESCAC postseason Loss to Colby on last day of season bumps Middlebury out of the playoffs

Author: Sarah Luehrman

In the last four weeks, the Middlebury women's basketball team has seen the toughest competition of the season. Though they suffered eight losses and ended their season at 14-10 - just short of making the NESCAC playoffs - the month of January was accented by some exciting victories, the kinds of games that proved to the team that they could play well and hang tough. Captain Micaela McVary '06 said of the 57-53 overtime victory against Tufts in particular that it demonstrated "we can win the close 'come-from-behind' games against good teams."

NESCAC play began on Jan. 13 when the Panthers traveled to Connecticut College and picked up a 75-56 win. The Camels barely had a chance when Middlebury went on a 20-5 run early in the game and ended the half with a 13-point advantage. Captain Lacey Hebert '06 led the offense with 18 points, followed by Jennifer Kelleher '08 with 13 and Maryanne Verzosa '06 and Katie Fisher '08 with 10 each. The next day's game at Wesleyan, however, brought the team's third loss of the season, 66-59. Alanna Young '08 and Katie Fehsenfeld '06 each scored 12 points, while Verzosa added 11.

The Panthers returned to Pepin the following weekend to play Bates, currently seeded first in NESCAC. The Bobcats arrived at Middlebury on a seven-game winning streak and carried their momentum through the game. The Panthers, however, gave Bates a tough time, trailing by only two at the half. "We forced them to get their points from different people [in the first half]," commented Head Coach Noreen Pecsok, "and did a nice job controlling their inside game." Bates then lengthened their lead considerably in the second half, but Middlebury came back and closed the margin to seven points, ending the game 73-60. Fisher was the top scorer of the day with 14 points. Pecsok was "very pleased with the effort" overall, and McVary noted that "playing a competitive game with one of the best teams in the NESCAC and the country proved to us how good we are."

With less than a full day to recover from Bates, the Panthers reappeared on the court to face Tufts and, after a harrowing 45 minutes of play, claimed their first overtime victory of the season, 57-53. "After losses to Wesleyan and Bates," said Fisher, "we were frustrated because we realized exactly how beatable these teams are." Tufts and Middlebury exchanged the lead several times during the first half, and though the Jumbos led 27-24 at the intermission, their command of the game was far from decisive. Early in the second half, however, the outlook for the Panthers was grim as Tufts charged ahead to take a 10-point lead. With seven minutes to play, however, Erin Lackey '08 scored four points and sparked a 6-0 run for the Panthers. At the 3:34 mark, Tufts' lead had been cut down to one, and Middlebury had considerable momentum on its side. The win seemed almost out of reach when Tufts scored once more to lead 49-46 with less than a minute on the clock. Middlebury took possession and, with 11 seconds to play, Fisher sank her first three-point shot of the day from the top of the key to tie the game at 49-49 when the buzzer sounded.

"That momentum gave us a huge advantage going into overtime," commented Pecsok, and indeed, the Panthers scored six points in a row to start the overtime period. Tufts had a chance to steal the win back when they cut the lead down to three, but Fisher's two free throws with 12 seconds to play lengthened the lead to 5 and put the win out of reach for Tufts. McVary totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds, Young close behind with 14 points and seven rebounds.

During the following week, the Panthers suffered two achingly close losses, first to Keene State on the road, 50-46, and then to Williams, 67-61, in Pepin Gymnasium. Both games ended with disappointing play in the second half, when Middlebury had chances to overcome its opponents and fell short twice. The following weekend's victory at Hamilton, however, brought with it a feeling of redemption accented by strong play late in the game. Though Hamilton led by four early in the second half, the Panthers scored 13 points in a row, eight of which belonged to Fisher, to overtake the Continentals without looking back.

While most Middlebury students headed home for break, the team spent the following weekend on the road, suffering two disappointing NESCAC losses first to Trinity, 63-59, and then to Amherst, 58-50. Middlebury commanded both games in the first half and failed to keep it together in the second half, giving up an 11-point lead against Trinity and a nine-point lead versus Amherst. Despite the tough weekend, however, the Panthers managed a home victory against Plattsburgh State without much difficulty, pulling off a decisive 24-4 run early in the game and retaining the lead throughout. Verzosa led Middlebury with 13 points, followed by Fisher with nine and Kelleher and Carlie Harrington '07, each of whom added eight.

Just a few days later, the season came to a close for the Panthers when they suffered losses to Bowdoin, 59-48, and Colby, 60-38, falling just short of the NESCAC playoffs. Though it was a disappointing end to the season, the Panthers' 14-10 record remains Middlebury's best since 2001-2002. "We all wish that we were going into the playoffs this weekend, wish we could take back some of our losses in the league," commented Erica Goodman '06, "but there was more to our team this season than the final win-loss record." In addition, the team is full of young players who saw significant court time throughout the season, particularly first-years Emily Johnson, Aylie Baker and Ashley Barron. Sophomores Young, Fisher, Kelleher and Lackey also played a great deal and bolstered the team's offense consistently. Though the loss of seniors McVary, Hebert, Verzosa, Fehsenfeld and Goodman will certainly have an impact on the upcoming season, the team's depth of skill ensures an equally strong showing next November. Goodman added that "next year's returners will come back in the fall with the same focus, tenacity and love of the game and that the five of us seniors will remember this year as one of our best."