The Middlebury women's basketball team outscored Oswego 30-15 and held the Lakers to 4-of-20 shooting in the second half Saturday en route to a 66-49 victory. The game closed a seven-game stretch away from Pepin Gymnasium for the Panthers.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Knotted at 6-6 with 6:54 remaining in the first quarter, Shania Iglesias and Sydney Hoefs knocked down three-point field goals on consecutive possessions to grab a 12-6 edge.
• The sides went cold for nearly two minutes until a Hoefs layup kicked off five-consecutive points for the home team to help build the squad's largest lead (17-6) at the 3:10 mark.
• Alexa Mustafaj found a rhythm late in the stanza, outscoring the Lakers 9-2 over the final 2:52 to help the visitors close the gap to three (18-15) after 10 minutes.
• The surge continued for the Panthers in the second with Mustafaj and Kale Tornwini nailing consecutive layups to give the visitors a 22-20 lead with just over six minutes left. 
• Oswego countered immediately, ripping off six-straight points on three layups to go back up by four (28-24) and force a Middlebury timeout. 
• The back-and-forth continued as the minutes trickled down with neither side gaining a lead bigger than four. Mustafaj continued her hot first half, sinking a half-court shot just before the buzzer sounded to give the Panthers a 36-34 advantage heading into the locker room.
• The Panthers' momentum carried over to begin the second half. Augusta Dixon tallied four points to help extend the lead to 42-36 at the 6:44 mark. 
• The Lakers battled back with the help of Iglesias, as the guard netted four of six consecutive points to knot the score at 42 apiece with 4:11 left.
• Middlebury responded with Dixon and Mustafaj combining for a 12-1 run over the final 3:27 for a 54-43 lead after three.
• Middlebury continued to build its advantage, outscoring Owesgo 12-6 in the final stanza to secure the 66-49 triumph. 

NOTES

• Mustafaj tallied a game-high 39 points on 15-of-25 shooting. It's the 11th time she has scored 30 or more in a Panther uniform.
• Dixon contributed her 21st career double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
• Middlebury recorded a season-high 18 steals, the most since November 29, 2022. 
• The Panthers and Lakers met for the first time in women's basketball. 

Middlebury returns to Pepin Gymnasium for a three-game homestand starting on Tuesday against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 5:00 p.m.