Middlebury led by as many as 16 points in the second half and fought off a late Trinity comeback to win 73-69 Saturday afternoon at Pepin Gym. The Panthers return to action to host Keene State in a non-conference contest on Thursday before visiting Williams on Saturday afternoon, while Trinity will host NESCAC leader Bowdoin on Friday night. The win improves the Panthers' record to 2-2 in NESCAC and 10-6 overall as the Bantams fall to 0-4 in conference play and 9-7 for the season.

The Panthers slowly built a 25-15 lead by the 8:27 mark in the first half on Carlie Harrington's three-pointer. The lead was cut to five on two occasions by the Bantams before a short 4-0 run in the final 37 seconds of the half extended the Panther advantage back to nine, 33-24.

Middlebury began the second half on a 7-0 run, building a 40-24 lead with 17:10 remaining in the game. The advantage hovered around double-digits for the next 13 minutes when Trinity began to chip away at the lead. A 12-6 run by the Bantams closed the gap to 68-65 with just 53 seconds left in the game. All 12 Trinity points were scored by Sarah Cox during that span including a three-pointer that cut the lead to three. With time dwindling, a lay-up by Lani Young and three free throws by Emily Johnson sealed the win for the Panthers, 73-69.

Middlebury was led by Young's 17 points and game-high 12 rebounds, while Ashley Barron and Katie Fisher chipped in 10 points apiece. Trinity was led by Cox's game-high 29 points with 10 rebounds, while Christine Card scored 12.