The Middlebury women's basketball team held off a second-half push by Skidmore on Wednesday evening, easing to a 56-43 triumph.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Thoroughbreds opened the contest with a 4-0 burst and grew their lead to 8-3 on a three from Sarah Chambers with 7:40 remaining.
• After just over two minutes of scoreless action, the Panthers responded with a 12-0 run highlighted by nine points from Alexa Mustafaj for a 15-8 advantage after the opening quarter.
• Points were few and far between in the back-and-forth second stanza, but a layup from Keeley Baglio gave Middlebury a 22-13 edge heading into the break.
• The third frame was action-packed as Skidmore had a strong push for a comeback bid. Chambers got things going with a shot from beyond the arc, and Claudia Schneider added a 7-0 burst to cut the deficit down to four (27-23) at the 5:57 mark.
• The Panthers answered with an 11-3 run over the ensuing 3:29, building a 38-26 lead on a pair of free throws from Calie Messina.
• A 4-0 burst by the Thoroughbreds sliced the advantage to single-digits, but Middlebury's Brooke Collins closed out the stanza by going two-for-two from the stripe for the 40-30 lead.
• The teams traded the initial four baskets of the final frame before a 6-2 spurt by Skidmore trimmed the Panther advantage down to seven (47-40) with 3:53 to go.
• Middlebury dug deep, putting together a 9-3 run capped on a three from Mustafaj to secure the 56-43 victory. 

NOTES

• Mustafaj, the program's all-time leading scorer, tallied 25 points during the win and now has 1,687 in her career.
• Messina nearly had a double-double with 11 points and six boards.
• The programs play for the 46th time with the Panthers holding a 29-17 advantage. 

Middlebury returns home for the weekend, hosting Union on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium.