The Middlebury women's basketball team opened the new year with a dominant 63-42 victory at Wellesley. Reagan McDonald paced the Panthers with 19 points, shooting an impressive .714 (5-7) from beyond the arc. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• McDonald sank a three-pointer with just 18 seconds elapsed, sparking a 5-0 burst for Middlebury to start the game.
• The Blue responded, knotting the contest at 9-9 following a layup from Arla Hofer with 4:26 expired. 
• Middlebury answered with a 13-2 run to close out the opening quarter. Calie Messina converted a pair of charity tosses with eight seconds left to make it 22-11.
• The Panthers maintained a sizable lead throughout the second quarter, but Wellesley would not back down. The Blue eventually cut the lead down to single digits (32-24) with a jumper by Hofer with 2:46 left on the clock.
• A last-minute jump shot by McDonald extended the Middlebury advantage back out to 10, as the Panthers headed into the locker room with a 34-24 lead. 
• Middlebury came out of the break strong, rattling off nine of the first 11 points to make it 43-26 with 7:18 to go in the quarter. 
• Following a timeout, the Blue went on a 6-0 run, cutting the lead to 43-32 with just over five minutes left in the stanza. 
• The Panthers closed out the quarter with a trio of three-pointers followed by a layup, giving them their largest lead of the day (54-32).
• The fourth session was a defensive battle, with Middlebury easing to the 63-42 triumph. 

NOTES

• Messina dished out a career-best six assists during the victory.
• Today marked just the third meeting between the two programs, with the Panthers owning a 2-1 mark in the series. 
• Middlebury opens NESCAC play this weekend, hosting Hamilton Friday and #6 Amherst on Saturday.