The Middlebury women's basketball team dropped a 65-53 decision at 16th-ranked Springfield. The game was a back-and-forth affair, but the Pride utilized a big fourth quarter to secure the victory.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• In a defensive-minded first quarter, Springfield moved out to a 6-3 edge on a free throw by Kayla Madden with 5:44 left.
• Augusta Dixon scored back-to-back layups before Madden knocked down a three-point field goal in the final seconds to give Springfield a 9-7 edge.
• The opening minutes of the second stanza featured a pair of ties, as the Pride took its largest lead of the game (17-14) on a three from Jaelen Daubon with 5:09 showing on the clock.
• Middlebury tallied six unanswered points, but a layup by Rachel Vinton pulled the hosts to within one (20-19) at the break.
• Knotted at 22-22 early in the third quarter, the Panthers rattled off a 14-3 run capped on a layup from Alexa Mustafaj for a 36-25 edge with 5:34 left.
• Springfield chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to four (38-34) with just over a minute left on a pair of free throws by Emma Glaser.
• An old-fashioned three-point play by Mustafaj pushed the Panther advantage to 41-34 to close out the third quarter.
• The Pride opened the final stanza with a 14-3 run, taking a 48-44 lead on a layup by Madden with 5:50 left.
• After a jumper from Mustafaj sliced the deficit to three (54-51) with 2:41 on the clock, the Pride scored 11 of the final 13 points for the 65-53 victory.  

NOTES

• Today's contest marked the 13th meeting between the teams, with Middlebury owning a 7-6 edge in the series.