MIDDLEBURY, Vermont – Wesleyan fell in their first NESCAC game of the year as the Middlebury women's basketball team defeated the visiting Cardinals 76-59. The Panthers (7-3, 1-0) are home again on Saturday when they take on Connecticut College, while the Cardinals (6-5, 0-1) head to Hamilton tomorrow with both games starting at 3:00 p.m.
The game was tight for the opening few minutes, as the Panthers got the initial bucket on a lay-up by Catherine Harrison. Wesleyan took what turned out to be its only lead of the first two quarters on its next possession when Danielle Gervacio hit a three-pointer 48 seconds into the contest.
The Cardinals cut the difference to 6-5 following a basket by Kaylie Williams, but the hosts went on a 13-0 run over a span of 3:56. Middlebury accounted for nine of those points from behind the three-point arc, as Kaufman started that stretch with a trey 3:09 into the first quarter. Sabrina Weeks hit another triple to make it a 16-5 game, while Alex Huffman capped things off with a three for a 19-5 lead.
Middlebury led 23-8 at the end of the first quarter, with its defense forcing the Cardinals into eight turnovers to aid its cause.
The Panthers continued to build their advantage in the second quarter, expanding the lead to 36-10 following a three-pointer by Kaufman at the 4:51 mark. Middlebury eventually led 47-22 at the half, as Colleen Caveney sank a jumper as the buzzer sounded.
Wesleyan outscored the hosts 24-13 in the third quarter to close the gap to 60-46. Brenna Diggins played a big role in cutting into the Middlebury lead, scoring her team's final eight points in the closing minutes, including a pair of three-pointers.
In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals narrowed the margin to 64-53 with 3:32 left on a free throw by Maeve Vitale. That would be as close as the visitors got as the Panthers went on a modest 8-2 run to push the difference with 17 points (72-55) with 1:22 left. Kaufman sank all four of her free throws in the final 45 seconds of the game to close out the win.
Kaufman was near-perfect from the foul line, making 15-16 of her attempts, while sinking four three-pointers in the game. Her 15 makes from the charity stripe ties a single-game program-best mark, joining Emily Johnson (1/12/07) and Sladja Kovijanic (2/20/93) in the record books. Harrison recorded her seventh double-double in 10 games this season, with 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Weeks added to the balanced offense with 13 points and Caveney netted 10, while Eileen Daley collected 11 rebounds and four steals.
Williams and Gervacio led the Cardinals with 14 points apiece, while Maddie Bledsoe chipped in with 13. Chynna Bailey led Wesleyan with eight rebounds, while Gervacio tacked on five assists and four steals.
As a team, Middlebury made 22-28 of its free-throw attempts, while the Cardinals only earned 14 trips to the line and made nine.
Recap courtesy of Middlebury Athletics
