The Middlebury women's basketball team (3-2) put together a dominant performance in Pepin Gym on Tuesday, cruising past NVU-Lyndon 86-38. The Panthers have a quick turnaround, hosting Eastern Nazarene on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., while the Hornets (3-1) travel to UMaine-Farmington on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off. 
 
Knotted 2-2, Middlebury went on a 16-2 run, taking an 18-4 advantage, capped on a layup from Augusta Dixon with 2:31 remaining. The Panthers tallied 10 more points in the opening frame to make it 26-9 heading into the second quarter.
 
Middlebury continued offensive pressure out of the break, taking a 25-point lead (38-13) on a layup from Bethany Lucey at the 3:21 mark. The Panthers closed out the opening half with a 46-19 advantage.
 
Middlebury opened the third stanza with a 12-3 run, making it 58-22 with 5:16 remaining. Claire Miller and Alexa Mustafaj each tallied four points during the span. Faith Poirier converted a pair of free throws, and Nyah Garner scored on a jumper over the ensuing minute to make it 58-26. The Panthers responded with a 9-2 spurt, capped on a jumper from Mustafaj, before a jumper from Hornet Lea Crompton made it 67-30 at the intermission.
 
In the final frame, Middlebury ran away with the game for the 86-38 final. 
 
Mustafaj tallied a game-high 27 points, shooting 12-14 from the floor to go along with four steals, while Miller had 12 points and four steals. Emily Downer recorded 13 points during the victory, while Gianna Palli led all players with 11 rebounds. 
 
Crompton paced NVU-Lyndon with 13 points and four rebounds, while Saleena Porter chipped in with eight points and grabbed four boards.