The women’s basketball team (12–3) emerged victorious this weekend with wins against NESCAC rivals Trinity College (11–4) and Wesleyan University (5–9).
On Friday, the Panthers started their strong weekend with a 65–52 victory over Trinity. Both teams played evenly throughout most of the game with the Bantams trailing by only two points as late as the third quarter. However, the Panthers took control in the fourth quarter, outscoring Trinity 27–16, cementing their victory with a 16–3 run.
Alexa Mustafaj ’25 led the scoring for the Panthers, putting up 31 points in the game. Augusta Dixon ’24.5 was also a crucial contributor, securing 11 points, four steals and 12 rebounds.
In Saturday’s contest, the Panthers were able to decisively defeat Wesleyan 82–66. After a dominant 13–0 run in the second quarter, the Panthers went into halftime with a 12 point lead. Middlebury did not look back in the second half, extending their lead and securing a 16 point victory. Mustafaj once again led the team in scoring with 22 points. However, Calie Messina ’26 had one of her best games of the season to help push the Panthers to victory. Messina recorded a season high of 20 points, along with six rebounds and six assists. Her prolific scoring came from her efficiency behind the three-point arc. She logged six three-pointers on just seven attempts.
These two wins are crucial as the Panthers enter the NESCAC portion of their schedule. So far, the Panthers are tied for first in the conference with a 2–0 record in NESCAC play. The team’s success so far has come from a strong defense and impressive shooting. The team ranks third in the NESCAC for the fewest points allowed per game, averaging 54.3. Moreover, they have the third highest steals per game with 9.73. The team has excelled in shooting, boasting a three-point field goal percentage of .335, the second-highest in the NESCAC.
Another key factor in the Panthers’ success has been the continued dominance of their star player, Alexa Mustafaj. After being named to the All-NESCAC First Team in her sophomore and junior seasons and becoming Middlebury’s all-time leading scorer last year, Mustafaj has continued to play extraordinarily well. This season she broke another record, becoming the program’s all-time leader in career free throws with 344 and leading the NESCAC with an average of 22.2 points per game
Mustafaj is backed by a formidable supporting cast. Dixon ranks 16th in the NESCAC in scoring with 11.1 points per game and second in rebounds per game with a 10.0 average. Meanwhile, Messina has played strong from beyond the arc, with a 50% shooting three-point shooting percentage and averaging 9.6 points per game.
The Panthers continue their season with an away game against Connecticut College (9–6) this Friday.
Jack McGuire (he/him) is a Senior Sports Editor.
Jack previously served as a Sports Editor and as a Staff Writer. He also spent this past summer working as a News Reporting Intern for Seven Days.
Jack is also majoring in economics with minors in political science and film and media culture.
