Middlebury broke open a tie game early in the second half with a 21-9 run, pulling away from Wesleyan 70-58 in a NESCAC contest at Pepin Gym on Friday night. The win gives the Panthers a 10-3 overall record and a 1-2 record in conference play, while the Cardinals drop to 6-9 and remain winless in NESCAC action at 0-3. Both teams continue conference play on Saturday, as Middlebury hosts Connecticut College at 4 p.m., while Wesleyan travels to Williams.

In the first half the teams exchanged leads seven times with neither holding more than a four point advantage. The Panthers held an early 6-2 lead after a lay-in by Stephany Surrette at 17:55. Over the next 11 minutes the teams were evenly matched, before Wesleyan went on a 5-0 spurt starting with a three from Erin Gold at 6:10 followed up on a bucket by Jenna Klaes for a 23-19 lead with 5:40 left. Middlebury tied the game at 27 apiece on a lay-up from Tracy Borsinger at 3:43, but the Cardinals ended the half scoring the final four points for a 31-27 lead at the break.

In the second half, a pair of Borsinger free throws gave the Panthers a 35-33 lead at 16:10, starting the decisive 21-9 run. Scarlett Kirk and Borsinger each chipped in five points during the span, for a 54-42 lead with 8:17 left in the game. During the final minutes of play the Middlebury lead hovered at double digits, as Wesleyan got as close as 62-54 with two minutes remaining on a Gold basket. Borsinger followed with a traditional three-point play to bump the Panther lead back to double digits as Middlebury cruised to the 70-58 finish.

Borsinger's career-best 16 points paced Middlebury, as Maddie Moreau added 11 and Lauren Sanchez netted 11 and collected nine rebounds and five assists, both game-highs. Kendra Harris' game-high 18 points on 6/6 shooting from the floor led Wesleyan, while Gold netted 11 and Eileen Gaffney scored 10 and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Box Score