The Middlebury women's basketball team pulled away from Potsdam with a 15-0 run that took place in parts of two quarters as the Panthers earned a 65-45 win in Jerry Welsh Gymnasium on Tuesday. Middlebury scored the final seven points in the first quarter and opened the following frame with eight straight to take the lead for good. The Panthers (8-4) return to conference play on Friday at Tufts for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Bears (1-10) head to SUNY Cortland for a 5:30 p.m. start.

The game was close for most of the first quarter with the biggest lead in the opening 6:35 being three points (13-10). The hosts held that advantage on a three-point field goal by Abbey Smith. The Panthers came right back to tie the game on a triple by Amanda Bayer and took the lead when Colleen Caveney made a pair of free throws. Middlebury capped the quarter with a 17-13 advantage, as Rachel Collins sank a jumper.

The Panthers continued to build their lead in the second quarter, tallying the first eight points. Eileen Daley scored half of the points in that stretch as the team ended up with a 15-0 run that spanned 8:36 over the two quarters and gave Middlebury a 25-13 lead. The Panthers later went into the half with a 33-22 edge.

Middlebury took its biggest lead of the game late in the third quarter, as the Panthers twice led by 21 points. The first advantage came on a free throw by Collins with 36 seconds on the clock, while Isabel Aguirre made a lay-up as the horn sounded for a 51-30 Panther lead.

The Bears closed the gap in the fourth getting difference down to 13 (58-45), but Middlebury closed the game out with the final seven points.          

Alex Huffman and Collins both posted career highs in points as they each finished with 16. Huffman was 5-7 from the floor, while Collins made 6-9 attempts. Daley just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, while Caveney and Bayer had nine points apiece. Caveney and Sabrina Weeks tied for the team lead in assists, as they each had three.

Smith was the lone Bear to reach double figures with 11 points. Middlebury's defense limited the hosts to only 29.3 percent (17-58) shooting from the floor and 7.1 percent (1-14) from behind the three-point arc.