Tied 31-31 at the halftime break, the Middlebury women's basketball team utilized a 9-0 run to start the third quarter and pulled away for a 74-59 win Friday over Keene State. The impressive victory was a part of the Ed Hockenbury Classic hosted by Norwich as the squad advances to the championship tilt. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Owls raced out to an 8-3 lead in the opening quarter capped on a stepback jumper from Ruby Dasaro with 2:07 expired.
• The Panthers sliced the advantage to one (8-7) on consecutive layups from Kale Tornwini and Brooke Collins.
• Keene State ripped off a 7-2 burst, highlighted by four points from Valerie Luizzi, for a 15-9 advantage with 3:36 left.
• Middlebury responded with a 13-2 spurt spanning the next 6:14 of play, grabbing a 22-17 edge on an Alexa Mustafaj jumper at 7:22 of the second frame.
• Brynn Rautiola tallied five-straight points over the next 1:39, leveling the contest at 22-22.
• The teams traded small leads over the remainder of the half, as a three-point field goal from Calie Messina with 36 seconds remaining knotted the score at 31 points apiece headed to the break.
• Middlebury opened the third quarter with the initial nine points, securing a 40-31 advantage on a pair of free throws by Tornwini with 6:36 on the clock.
• The Panthers continued to ride that momentum, increasing their lead to 11 (50-39) on a shot from beyond the arc by Messina with exactly three minutes to go.
• Keene State pulled to within seven (54-47) on a Lilly Krysinski bucket before a buzzer-beating fadeaway from the baseline by Messina gave Middlebury a 56-47 edge with one stanza to go.
• The Panthers continued to pull away in the final quarter, pushing the advantage to as many as 17 (74-57) on a basket by Sarah Chenette, before earning the 74-59 triumph. 

NOTES

• Mustafaj nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 26 points to go with a career-best eight assists and securing seven rebounds.
• Augusta Dixon posted her third double-double in the last four contests and fourth of the season, scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds and adding three blocked shots. 
• The Panthers improved to 6-1 overall with the victory, marking the best start to a season since the 2018-19 squad went unbeaten through its first 12 contests.
• The programs played for the 20th time overall with Middlebury claiming the last five matchups.

The Panthers conclude first-semester competition Saturday against Norwich in the championship game slated for 2:30 p.m. The host Cadets recorded a 59-45 triumph against Wellesley in the classic's opening game.