The Middlebury women's basketball team battled back-and-forth with Union for three quarters, but a strong fourth stanza propelled the Garnet Chargers to an 82-75 decision.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The hosts jumped out to a 5-2 edge on a layup from Jelena Perovic at the 8:41 mark.
- Middlebury responded with an 8-3 burst over 1:52, taking a 10-8 lead on a three-pointer from Calie Messina.
- The stanza was tied up four times before a charity toss from Ryley Tate-Padian gave Union a 20-19 edge after one quarter of action.
- The Garnet Chargers started the second session with a 13-4 run to take a 10-point advantage (33-23) at the 6:18 mark. Grace Ardito and Kate Peet each had four points in the surge.
- Trailing 38-26, Middlebury tallied 13 of the next 16, capped by a shot from beyond the arc by Teagan Lind with 15 ticks left on the clock to cut the deficit to 41-39.
- Perovic extended Union's advantage with a late layup as the hosts headed into the break with a 43-39 lead.
- Knotted at 54-54 in the third, the Garnet Chargers tallied seven of the final 10 points to take a 61-57 edge into the fourth.
- Down by five with 7:10 remaining in the final frame, back-to-back layups by Sarah Chenette and Lind sliced the Panther deficit to one (65-64).
- Union answered with a 10-0 run capped by a layup from Olivia Cunningham with 1:14 left for a 75-64 advantage.
- An 8-3 burst by the Panthers over the ensuing 30 seconds cut the lead down to six (78-71).
- Middlebury was forced to foul down the stretch , as Union converted all four of its free throws to secure the 82-75 decision.
NOTES
- Messina nearly tallied a double-double, recording 16 points while pulling down nine boards. The nine rebounds match a career-high.
- Three other players were in double figures, including Chenette with 18 and 11 each from Lind and Gabby Stuart.
- The programs met for the 33rd time with the Panthers owning a 22-11 mark in the series.
Middlebury has a quick turnaround, traveling to Vermont State University Castleton on Tuesday for a 1:00 p.m. start.
