The Middlebury women's basketball team mounted a fourth-quarter comeback attempt before falling to Springfield 58-56 on Friday. The season-opening game was the initial contest of the Chuck Resler Tournament hosted by the University of Rochester.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pride jumped out to a 12-7 lead on a layup from Claire Finney with 4:38 remaining in the first quarter.
• Middlebury answered with a 7-0 spurt spanning the next three minutes, including five from Islay Moore, for a 14-12 advantage at the 1:44 mark.
• A basket by Springfield's Natalie Lucas in the final seconds of the frame leveled the game at 14-14.
• Molly Keaveney knocked down a shot from beyond the arc on the initial possession of the second quarter for a 17-14 edge.
• Deadlocked at 17-17, Calie Messina posted the ensuing four points to make it 21-17 with 4:24 showing on the clock.
• The Pride ended the stanza on a 13-2 run for a 30-23 score at the break. Carrie Hess and Amanda Leary sparked the surge with four points apiece.
• Springfield maintained nearly a double-digit advantage for a majority of the third quarter, building its largest lead of the contest at 49-34 on a three-pointer from Finney with 25 seconds left.
• Emma Kirck knocked down a long-distance shot in the waning seconds of the stanza to pull Middlebury within a dozen (49-37).
• The Panthers began their comeback bid with a 9-4 run to begin the final frame. Moore contributed five points during the span, including a layup with 6:30 remaining to slice the deficit to 53-46.
• An old-fashioned three-point play from Lucas seconds later and a bucket by Hess pushed the Springfield edge back to 12 (58-46) at the 4:51 mark.
• Middlebury kept the momentum, posting the next 10 points to move within two on a pair of free throws from Teagan Lind with 53 seconds showing on the clock.
• After the Panther defense drew an offensive foul, Middlebury called a timeout, but a last-second shot didn't go down as Springfield held on for the 58-56 victory.

NOTES

• Lind finished with career-high totals of 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes. She was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
• Moore ended her first collegiate contest with a near double-double of 12 points and team-best nine boards. 
• The programs played for the 16th time with the Pride holding a narrow 9-7 advantage.

The Panthers return to action in Saturday's consolation game against the loser of the second contest between #22 SUNY Geneseo and the host Yellowjackets. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from the Flour City.