Women’s Basketball Comes Up Short

After a season of extremes — from starting off with six straight wins to losing four in a row in conference play — the Middlebury women’s basketball team saw their roller-coaster ride end in the NESCAC quarterfinals last Saturday, falling 67-64 to the Mules of Colby. The close loss was in stark contrast to their earlier matchup this year, when they fell to the same Colby team by 21 points on the road.

The Panthers rode into their quarterfinal game on a two-game winning streak, after back-to-back home NESCAC wins against Trinity and Hamilton. Their heightened confidence was apparent against Colby, as Middlebury led for most of the game against an opponent that had trounced them in the same building not three weeks earlier. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Middlebury found themselves ahead 49-44. However, Colby surged and retook the lead over the next five minutes of action. With 5:10 to play, Stephany Surrette ’12 hit two free throws to put the Panthers back ahead 55-54. Unfortunately, that one-point advantage would be Middlebury’s last lead of the game.

Colby led 60-56 after breaking a 56-all tie with back-to-back baskets inside of five minutes to play. The Panthers would respond, however, when co-captain Lauren Sanchez ’11 hit a layup and then made a free throw on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 60-59 with just over two minutes left. Colby would add four more over the next 30 seconds, and would find themselves ahead by a margin of 64-59 after Mules forward Rachael Mack hit a pair of free throws. Sanchez would again keep the Panthers in the game on the other end, as the all-time Middlebury free-throw leader hit two of two to keep it a one-possession game with 1:15 remaining.

After possessions without points for both teams, Middlebury was forced to foul Colby’s Diana Manduca with 29 seconds to play. Manduca promptly hit both free-throws to extend the Mules’ lead to 66-61. Undeterred by the long odds, the Panthers immediately struck back with a Maddie Moreau ’12 three-pointer to cut the lead to 66-64. Again forced to foul, Middlebury put Mack back on the line with 19 seconds left. Mack hit one of two shots, making it 67-64 and leaving the door open for Middlebury to tie the game on their final possession. However, Colby’s pressure defense was effective, and the Panthers were unable to even attempt the three-point shot they would have needed to even the score. Moreau missed a layup with six seconds left, and the clock expired as both teams scrambled for the ball. Although they had cut the final margin by 18 from their previous meeting, Middlebury was unable to overcome Colby, and saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion.

Despite the disappointing end to the 10-11 campaign, Middlebury women’s basketball still recorded their highest win total since the 01-02 season with 15. Sanchez, playing in her final game in a Middlebury uniform against Colby, finished with 20 points to go along with six rebounds, six steals, and five assists in a great all-around effort. Middlebury’s other senior, co-captain Allison Needham ’11, had five points in 18 minutes of action off the bench. Tracy Borsinger ’13 scored 12 points for Middlebury, who was hampered by star forward Surrette’s foul trouble, as she was able to score eight points despite playing only 18 minutes in the game.

The outlook for the Panthers next year is promising, as they return several key players, especially in the front court. Sanchez finishes her Middlebury career at or near the top of several record lists.