MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – On a day where the Wesleyan women's basketball team found success from beyond the arc, they faced an opponent who was lights out from the three-point line as the Cardinals fell to Middlebury, 82-66, on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals drop to 5-9 (0-2 NESCAC) while the Panthers are now 12-3 (2-0 NESCAC) and winners of five straight.
 
Even though the Cardinals made 10 three-pointers and went 47.6 percent from beyond the arc, their highest single-game three-point shooting percentage this season, the Cardinals were undone by Middlebury's duo of Alexa Mustafaj and Calie Messina who combined to shoot 11-for-15 (73.3 percent) from the three-point line on their way to 42 combined points.
 
Middlebury's high-flying duo was at it right from the jump, with the pair each hitting two three-pointers in the first quarter in a 20-point frame for the Panthers, but the Cardinals hung in thanks to Felicia Fongemie '27 who hit all three of her shot attempts, scoring seven of the 15 Wesleyan points in the quarter.
 
The Panthers began to separate in the second quarter, outscoring Wesleyan 25-18, leading by as many as 15 points in the frame. Pauline Vlahakis '28 entered and scored five quick points for the Cardinals including a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 45-33 at the half.
 
The Wesleyan fight back continued into the third quarter with Meghan Kirck '28 hitting from deep that jump started three straight possessions finishing in a made field goal for the Cardinals. After Madie Dayton '28 canned a triple to make it 56-49 Panthers, the final three minutes of the stanza was all-Middlebury as the hosts scored nine unanswered to flip a seven-point lead into a 16-point advantage entering the fourth.
 
That 9-0 Middlebury run was the gut punch for Wesleyan who played to an even fourth quarter with the Panthers (17-17), but Middlebury's lead grew to as many as 22 with 2:40 remaining to give the hosts a comfortable win in the end.
 
Tori DaCosta '25 led the way for Wesleyan with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 28 minutes. Kirck finished with 11 points while Fongemie added nine. Aviva Schnitzer '28 came off the bench to score a career-high eight points.
 
Wesleyan returns home next weekend where they will play host to Hamilton on Friday (7 PM) and Amherst on Saturday (3 PM).