On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Panthers and the Engineers fought an exciting and tightly-contested game. Middlebury led Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a 21–11 advantage with only a minute left on the clock in the first quarter. However, the Engineers showed no signs of backing down in the second and third quarters, the teams were neck and neck with Middlebury holding only a one point advantage in both quarters. Kamryn You Mak ’23 helped the Panthers gain a higher margin when she first defended a three and then connected from long range. As a walk-on athlete, You Mak felt welcomed by everyone on the team. “We played well together as a team — moving and sharing the ball, talking on defense, and helping each other out,” she said.
Middlebury’s record suffered a blow from a loss to Colby on Friday, Jan. 17. The game remained a tie during the first two quarters until the Mules topped the Panthers by one point heading into the last quarter. During the fourth quarter, the Mules stepped up and tallied 16 out of 18 of the first points of the period. Although Middlebury tried to come back, the Panthers ultimately fell 48–62. Betsy Knox ’20 broke the blocked shots record held by Catherine Harrison ’19 and became the school’s all-time leader with 109.
The Panthers were unable to bounce back from the loss as they also fell to Bowdoin the following day, Jan. 18. The team had a hard-fought battle with the second-ranked Polar Bears. Bowdoin had a six point advantage over Middlebury at the end of the first quarter, and its advantage grew larger as the second quarter was closed out with a score of 32–25. In the third quarter, Middlebury worked tirelessly to close the gap from 44–27 with five minutes left on the clock to 46–32. Unfortunately, Polar Bears eventually secured a 80–61 win over Middlebury. Maya Davis ’20 led the scoreboard with 21 points, followed by Kira Waldman ’20 with 13, Reagan McDonald ’23 with 11, and Knox who put up 10.
Middlebury will face Williams on the road on Saturday, Jan. 25, before returning home Friday, Jan. 31 to host Trinity.
Rain Ji '23 is a managing editor of The Campus. She previously served as an Arts & Culture editor.
She is majoring in International and Global Studies with a concentration in the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, she studied abroad in Amman at the University of Jordan. Outside of academics, she enjoys watching Criminal Minds and skiing.
