Middlebury opened the game on a massive 23-2 run, on the way to a decisive 72-44 win over Norwich in the Panthers home-opener at Pepin Gym. The Cadets (4-3) managed to cut the deficit to 15 before the Middlebury lead bulged to 31 points in the second half. The Panthers (3-4) held Norwich to 21.9% shooting for the game, while earning a commanding 58-32 rebounding edge.

During the opening run, eight different Panthers scored, led by five from Tracy Borsinger and four from Scarlett Kirk for the 23-2 lead with 9:47 left. Norwich made a dent later in the half on back-to-back threes by Aliah Curry and Abigail Wright and a traditional three-point-play by Katrina Laidlaw, cutting the Panther lead to 34-19 with 2:08 left before intermission. Middlebury capped the half with a 6-0 spurt, as Kirk added a pair of lay-ups for a 40-19 lead at the break.

After an opening bucket by Curry in the second half, Middlebury went on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach, building a 52-21 lead at the 15:20 mark. Laura Lowry and Kirk added two buckets apiece during that run as the Panthers cruised to the 72-44 victory.

Kirk led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, as Borsinger earned a double-dip as well with 15 and 10, respectively. Katie Pett helped build the Panthers' huge rebounding edge with a game-high 13 caroms. Norwich was paced by Curry's 14 points on 5-24 shooting from the floor.

Middlebury is back in action on Thursday, hosting Johnson State on Thursday, while Norwich travels to Mt. St. Mary's (N.Y.).

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