Seventh-ranked Amherst scored the game's first seven points and grabbed a 21-6 lead after one quarter on its way to a 77-24 victory over Middlebury (11-11, 3-6) on Friday evening in Pepin Gymnasium. The Purple & White (22-1, 8-1) knocked down 11-32 shots from beyond the arc during the win, while Middlebury went 1-11 from three-point range. The Panthers, who will either be the #7 or #8 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament, return to the court for the home season finale on Saturday afternoon hosting Trinity at 3:00 p.m., while Amherst is at Hamilton at the same time.

Both teams were cold from the floor to open the game, as the contest went scoreless for the first 3:19 of play. A pair of baskets by Amherst's Jackie Nagle sandwiched around a three-point goal from Meredith Doswell gave the visitors a 7-0 lead. Catherine Harrison got Middlebury on the scoreboard with a layup with 4:22 left on an assist by Eileen Daley. The teams traded baskets before the Purple & White outscored the Panthers by a 12-2 count over the final 3:00 minutes of the opening quarter for a 15-point lead.

Amherst scored the opening four points of the second quarter on two layups by Nagle, but Middlebury cut the lead to 16 (25-9) via a three-pointer from Sarah Kaufman with 7:56 left. That is as close as the hosts would get, as Amherst rattled off 21 of the last 22 points in the second for a 46-10 halftime lead. In the quarter, the Purple & White went 10-18 from the floor with five makes from beyond the arc, while Middlebury was 1-10 with a free throw and five turnovers.

The visitors outscored Middlebury 31-14 over the final two quarters, limiting the Panthers to just 18.2 percent (4-22) shooting, including 0-6 from three-point range.    

The Panthers were paced by Harrison with 11 points on 4-5 shooting from the field and 3-4 at the free throw line, while Kaufman finished with five points off the bench. Alex Huffman pulled down a game-best eight rebounds, while Daley ended her night with a team-high four assists along with five rebounds.

Amherst had three in double figures led by a game-high 18 points from Ali Doswell to go with seven rebounds and five assists, while Nagle chipped in with 16 points and six boards. Meredith Doswell ended her night with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.