The Middlebury women's basketball team kicked off NESCAC action on Friday, battling back from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter to upset #18 Trinity, 64-62.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In a tightly-contested first quarter, the Panthers grabbed a 10-6 edge with 5:39 left after Calie Messina converted a pair of free throws.
• The Bantams netted 10 of the frame's final 12 points, surging ahead 16-12 via a Melissa Whitmore three-point play in the waning seconds.
• The hosts maintained the energy in the second session, posting their largest lead of the contest (24-14) when Fiona Neilon scored on a driving layup 2:51 into the stanza.
• Middlebury erased the deficit with a 16-5 surge to close the half, taking a 30-29 lead with six seconds left on a driving finish from Gabby Stuart.
• The third quarter featured seven ties across 8:51 of action before back-to-back jumpers from Maya Carnes gave Trinity a 47-43 lead through 30 minutes. The Bantam's buckets were the only consecutive scores for either team in the frame.
• The Panthers embarked on an 11-2 run early in the fourth stanza, taking a 54-49 advantage on an Islay Moore layup with 7:07 left.
• Trinity responded with 10 of the next 12 points to grab a 59-56 edge on a Kiki Fossbender layup.
• Middlebury recorded eight of the final 11 points. Messina secured the triumph with a pair of charity tosses for the come-from-behind 64-62 decision.

NOTES

• Sarah Chenette scored a game-high 19 points and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds.
• The Panthers featured four players in double figures as Moore (15), Stuart (12) and Messina (10) aided the output. 
• The squad collected its fourth-straight win, improving to 8-1 over its last nine contests.
• The sides met for the 34th time with Middlebury holding a narrow 18-16 edge.

The Panthers continue NESCAC action on Saturday in Connecticut with a 3:00 p.m. game at Wesleyan.