Middlebury (2-1) dropped its first game of the season on Saturday afternoon in Pepin Gym, as Skidmore's Clare Driscoll sank three free throws with 0.1 seconds left in regulation to give the Thoroughbreds a 68-66 victory. The Panthers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to in-state foe Castleton for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff, while Skidmore (4-0) entertains Wesleyan on the same day.
 
Trailing 5-4, the hosts put together an 8-1 run spanning 3:52 of the opening quarter, taking a 12-6 edge on a free throw from Reagan McDonald. Skidmore chipped away at the deficit, moving to within one (16-15) on a pair of charity tosses from Emilija Jakumaite with 36 seconds left in the frame. 
 
The Thoroughbreds tallied the first six points of the second stanza, gaining their largest lead of the contest at 21-16 on a bucket from Amelia Medolla with 7:02 left. The Panthers answered with a 12-2 spurt over the ensuing 3:12, grabbing a 28-23 edge on a layup by Claire Miller as the Panthers took a 30-26 lead into halftime.
 
Out of the break, the two sides exchanged small leads for much of the third quarter, with Middlebury taking a 50-45 advantage on a free throw by Gianna Palli.
 
Middlebury gained its greatest lead of the contest at 52-45 on the initial possession of the fourth quarter on a jumper from Alexa Mustafaj. Skidmore scored 10 of the next 14 points, moving to within one (56-55) with 5:25 on the clock via a three-point play by Kate McCarney. The Panthers maintained a small lead over the next few minutes, as Miller converted two free throws to lead 64-60 with 44 seconds left. Skidmore tallied the next five points, capped on a three by McCarney for a 65-64 edge. Following a Panther timeout, Augusta Dixon canned a running jumper from the right side for Middlebury with 1.8 seconds left. After a Thoroughbred timeout advanced the ball, Driscoll took the inbound pass, worked around a screen at the top of the key and was fouled with 0.1 seconds on the clock, before knocking down all three tosses for the final 68-66 margin.
 
Mustafaj led the hosts with 19 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals, while Miller had 15 points and a team-best eight boards. Dixon and McDonald were each in double figures with 10 points, while McDonald recorded a game-high six assists.
 
Julia Blanck paced all players with 23 points and 14 rebounds for Skidmore, while McCarney added 19 points and Driscoll finished with 12 points and four helpers. Maddie Hastings pulled down seven rebounds while chipping in with three steals.