The Middlebury women's basketball team rattled off a 16-3 fourth-quarter run, turning a back-and-forth contest into a 65-52 win over Trinity in both teams' NESCAC opener.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Trailing 4-3 with 6:11 left in the opening frame, the Panthers rattled off nine-straight points over nearly five minutes of action capped by an Augusta Dixon layup for a 12-4 edge.
• The Bantams concluded the stanza with a driving layup from Olivia Vick followed by a three-point shot by Avery Marzo for a 12-9 score.
• The teams traded small leads over much of the second stanza, as an Alexa Mustafaj pull-up jumper in the paint gave the hosts a 24-22 edge at halftime.
• Trinity moved to within two (26-24) on a basket coming from Vick 2:13 into the third quarter.
• The Panthers manufactured a 12-5 spurt spanning the next 4:47, highlighted by eight points from Mustafaj for a 38-29 lead with 3:00 left.
• The visitors tallied the last seven points of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 38-36 on a jumper by Vick.
• Ahead 47-45 with 3:23 expired in the final frame, Middlebury reeled off its decisive 16-3 run and secured its largest lead of the contest at 15 (63-48) capped on a layup from Kale Tornwini with 1:03 remaining. 
• Trinity posted the final four points as the hosts earned a hard-fought 65-52 decision.

NOTES

• Mustafaj concluded with a game-best 31 points, including 20 in the second half. Her output marked the third time this season, and 12th time in her career, that she has eclipsed the 30-point mark.
• Dixon ended the contest with 11 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double this winter.
• The Panthers shot 8-of-12 from the field in the fourth quarter and were a perfect 10-of-10 at the free-throw line.
• The programs squared off for the 33rd time with Middlebury taking a 17-16 edge in the all-time series. 

The Panthers close their opening NESCAC weekend with a 3:00 p.m. contest on Saturday against Wesleyan.