The Panther women's basketball team was edged 56-53 by Framingham State to open up the Middlebury Tip-Off Classic on Friday night.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Tailing 9-6, a layup and a free throw from Kale Tornwini knotted the contest at nine points apiece, before a bucket from Emily Downer gave the Panthers an 11-9 edge after 10 minutes of action.
• Middlebury started the second stanza with a 4-0 burst, but the Rams answered with four points of their own to cut the deficit back down to 15-13.
• Trailing 25-22, Framingham State finished the stanza with a 5-1 run, capped by a last-second three from Katherine Haselton to give the Rams a 27-26 lead heading into the halftime break.
• The teams traded buckets throughout the third quarter. With the score 41-36 in favor of Framingham State with 2:46 remaining, Middlebury rattled off a 5-0 run, highlighted by a fastbreak layup by Katie Hollensteiner to level the score at 41-41 heading into the home stretch. 
• The Rams opened the final frame with an 8-2 burst to move into a six point lead (49-43) on a layup by Bryanna Grant with 3:26 elapsed.
• The Panthers would not go away, and utilized stellar defense combined with a 6-0 run to knot the score at 49-49 on a layup from August Dixon with 4:08 to go.
• Framingham State responded by scoring seven of the next 11 points to regain a 56-53 lead heading into the final possession. Alexa Mustafaj fired up a step-back three as time expired, but her shot fell off the rim and the Rams escaped with the victory. 

NOTES

• Mustafaj recorded a game-high 26 points and has registered double-digit points in all but two career contests. 
• Tonight's meeting was the first between the schools in women's basketball.

The Panthers are back in action on Saturday when they take on Springfield at 3:00 p.m.