The Middlebury women's basketball team (8-7, 2-1) edged visiting Williams 67-62 on Saturday. The Panthers travel to Hamilton on Sunday for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Ephs (7-10, 2-3) head to Connecticut College on Friday. 
 
Middlebury went on an 11-2 run to start the game, capped by a layup from Gianna Palli with 6:34 remaining. Williams answered, rattling off 13 of the next 16 points to take a one-point edge (15-14) with 2:29 left in the first quarter. Mia Holtze accounted for seven of the points during the span. The teams went back-and-forth before a four-point spurt gave Middlebury a 20-19 edge at the end of the stanza.
 
The second quarter was close, with neither team able to take more than a two-point lead. Ellie Tounkara sank a shot from beyond the arc to give the Ephs a 40-38 edge heading into intermission.
 
Trailing 42-40 in the third, Williams' Holtze tallied six-straight points to give the Ephs a 46-42 advantage with 6:06 showing on the clock. Middlebury responded with a 10-2 run over the ensuing 4:34 to take a 52-48 lead. Maggie Meehan sank a three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the quarter to bring Williams within one (52-51). 
 
Out of the break, the Panthers increased their lead to 58-53 with treys coming from Alexa Mustafaj and Reagan McDonald. The Ephs answered with a 9-4 burst, tying the game at 62 points apiece with 2:03 left on the clock. Bethany Lucey made a shot from beyond the arc with 1:25 to go, before Mustafaj and Lucey each converted a charity toss in the final 10 seconds to seal the 67-62 victory. 
 
Mustafaj led all players with 23 points, while Lucey recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Emily Downer tallied 13 points, grabbed six boards and recorded a pair of blocked shots, while Palli contributed nine points and seven rebounds. 
 
Holtze paced Williams with a double-double, tallying 21 points and pulling down 11 boards. Maddy Mandyck pulled down a game-high 15 boards, while Meegan and Ryan Taylor chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively.