The women’s basketball team has hit a rough patch in their season, dropping a handful of tight NESCAC games. The Panthers now sit at 11-11 overall and 3-5 in-conference, but are a lock for a spot in the NESCAC tournament.
Middlebury lost a non-conference matchup with the Owls of Keene State on Thursday, Jan. 22 by a slim margin, 60-56. Keene jumped out to an 11-0 lead before Krystina Reynolds ’17 scored the first bucket for the Panthers.
Middlebury chipped away and tied the game at 25-25 on an Alexis Coolidge ’15 layup on the first possession of the second half. The two squads battled back and forth for the next 10 minutes, but Keene was able to extend the lead to as much as eight with 10:32 left in the contest.
Kaufman led the Panthers with 23 points on 8-13 shooting. Elizabeth Knox ’17 was tops with 11 boards and five assists for Middlebury while also adding nine points, and Rachel Crews ’15 tallied 11 points.
Middlebury had over a week off before taking on conference foe Williams at home on Friday, Jan. 30 in a game that ended in favor of the Ephs by a score of 67-52.
Williams was able to get to the line 28 times in the contest, making 21 of its foul shots, which made the biggest difference in the ball game.
The game remained tight for most of the first half and Middlebury took a three-point lead with 8:51 left in the first frame on a Coolidge lay up.
The Panthers entered the half down just two, and Crews went into the locker room with 10 points at the break. Unfortunately, things got away from Middlebury quickly in the second half. Williams led by as many as 19 with 8:54 left in the game. The Ephs were able to keep the Panthers at bay and win by a comfortable 15 point margin.
Sarah Kaufman ’18 led Middlebury with 14 points and added eight rebounds. Sabrina Weeks ’18, who never came off the floor, also grabbed eight rebounds. Kaufman, Knox, Crews and Coolidge all scored in double figures.
Middlebury got some redemption with a 60-59 win on the road at Hamilton on Sunday, Feb. 1. The victory was an important win for the Panthers, who now hold a critical tiebreaker over both Hamilton and Wesleyan, two teams currently sitting at 2-6 in the NESCAC standings.
Middlebury extended their lead to 14 points just after halftime, but Hamilton never gave in and had a couple chances to tie at the buzzer that would not fall. Scoring was tough to come by in the game’s opening minutes, as Middlebury led 11-10 with 9:44 left in the first half.
Then the Panthers went on a 10-2 run and took a lead that would not be relinquished until there was just 6:42 left in the game. The lead did not stretch beyond five in either direction for the remainder of the contest. Reynolds went 4-4 from the stripe in the game’s final 1:12 (the Panthers were 9-9 on the evening) to help seal the victory.
Two Hamilton three-point attempts failed to fall in the waning seconds. A putback layup with just two seconds remaining brought the line what would prove to be the final, 60-59 in favor of the Panthers.
Three Panthers scored in double figures in the game. Knox led with 16 points, followed by Kaufman with 15 and Crews with 11 on 4-8 shooting (3-6 3PT FG). Kaufman earned her fourth double-double of the season while snagging 10 boards as well.
On the team’s senior night, the Panthers faced another NESCAC rival, the visiting Colby Mules, ultimately falling late in the game by a score of 66-60.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the first half, but Middlebury entered the halftime break with a narrow 27-24 lead. The story remained the same for much of the second half as well, and despite a number of lead changes neither team was able to pull away.
Colby came alive in the final three minutes of play, scoring nine straight points to make the score 59-52 in favor of the Mules. In the final 1:03 left to play the Mules sealed their victory by capitalizing on 7 of 8 free throw attempts.
Despite the outcome, many Middlebury players performed outstandingly in the contest. Knox scored 27 while teammate Kaufman added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Panthers capped their regular season home game schedule with a loss to 20th ranked Bowdoin on Sunday, Feb. 8. Middlebury played even with the Polar Bears for much of the game, but a high number of second half turnovers allowed Bowdoin to secure the 53-43 victory.
The teams exchanged leads six times throughout the first half, eventually going into the halftime break with the score notched at 24 apiece. The Polar Bears mounted a significant second half effort, starting the period on a 10-2 run accompanied by four Panther turnovers.
Consequently, Middlebury trailed for much of the second half as turnovers and poor shooting held the squad from regaining traction. However, the Panthers were able to tally a late 9-1 run which included three-pointers by Crews and Siobhan Sullivan ’17. Knox led the team with 13 points and nine rebounds while Coolidge also contributed seven.
The Panthers travel to NESCAC rival Trinity on Friday, Feb. 13 before ending their regular season on the road at Amherst on Sunday.
