In just her second collegiate game, Sarah Kaufman scored 32 points, including 20-22 at the free throw line, leading the Middlebury women's basketball to a 67-50 victory Sunday over Smith during the championship game of the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament. Kaufman, an all-tournament selection, set a new program single-game record with her 20 free throws, while Elizabeth Knox was also an all-tournament honoree. The Panthers (2-0) return to the court Thursday evening with a 7:00 p.m. game at in-state foe Castleton State.

Middlebury opened the contest by scoring the game's first seven points, including a pair of jumpers by Rachel Crews. The Pioneers answered with an 11-3 run that spanned 4:30 and took their first lead of the contest, 11-10, with 12:59 left in the opening half.

Foul trouble caught up with Smith (1-1), as the Pioneers picked up their 10th foul at the 12:23 mark of the first half. The two sides traded baskets before back-to-back threes by Knox stretched the Panthers lead to 27-17 with 5:08 remaining in the first.

Smith cut the Middlebury lead down to five (29-24), keyed by a three and a pair of free-throws by Shannon Saywell. The Panthers closed out the first stanza on a 10-4 run, capped off by a three pointer at the buzzer by Kaufman to take a 39-28 lead into the intermission.

The second half turned into a bit of a defensive affair, but the Panthers maintained a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the remainder of the game. Smith was able to slice the deficit to eight (54-46) after a layup by Amanda Barriscale at the 4:12 mark, but Middlebury closed out the contest on a 13-4 run for the 17-point victory.

Individually, Knox posted her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Alexis Coolidge chipped in with seven points, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.

The Panthers concluded the game with a decided 40-28 edge on the boards and limited the Pioneers to just 30.8% shooting (20-65) and 11.5% (3-26) from beyond the arc. Middlebury possessed a decided advantage at the free throw line much in part to Kaufman's performance, knocking down 25-30 attempts (83.3%), while Smith converted just 7-13 (53.8%).

Smith was led by Barriscale with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Paige Marquez added 11.