Katie Pett earned 23 rebounds vs. Wesleyan.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARNS A PAIR OF WINS

January 14, 2013

The Middlebury women’s basketball team improved to 7-5 on the year with a 60-44 non-league win at Suffolk (7-4) on Tuesday night.  

Trailing 17-15 with 6:37 left in the first half, Middlebury went on a 7-0 run behind a two and a three-point play from junior Katie Pett (Saginaw, Mich.) to hold a 22-17 advantage. The Rams came within two, but the Panthers went into the locker room with a 26-22 advantage.

Middlebury came out strong in the second half, outscoring its opponent 20-5 through the first 10:31 of play to take a 46-27 lead. A pair of threes from senior Tracy Borsinger (Chatham, N.J.) helped spark the run for the Panthers. The lead grew to as many as 20 before Middlebury came away with the 60-44 win.

Borsinger paced the team with 18 points, followed by a dozen from sophomore Rachel Crews (S. Burlington, Vt.) with 10 points and 10 boards for Pett. Junior Laura Lowry (W. Hartford, Conn.) added five assists in the game, while senior Jesse Miller (Wellesley, Mass.) scored six with seven boards.

Despite a game-high 21 points from Borsinger, the Panthers saw the visiting Camels of Connecticut College pull away late in the second half for a 66-57 NESCAC victory in Pepin Gym.

After a slow start for both teams, Middlebury opened a 6-0 lead at the 14:58 mark, capped by a three from Borsinger. Conn. College answered with a 16-3 run, highlighted by four points apiece from Caitlin Cimino, Kayleen Murray and Tara Gabelman. Borsinger answered with back-to-back threes, cutting the Camels’ lead to 16-15 with 6:50 left to play in the half. Middlebury junior Scarlett Kirk (San Francisco, Calif.) later tied the game at 20 with two free throws at 3:06. There were six lead changes down the stretch as Borsinger accounted for two of them on a three followed by a lay-up with 24 seconds to play. Kaitlyn Cresencia gave the visitors the final lead change with a buzzer-beating lay-up as the Camels took a 27-26 lead into the break.

The Camels kept a slight lead in the opening minutes of the second half before Borsinger connected from long distance tying the game at 36 apiece at the 16:04 mark. After both teams exchanged buckets, Conn. College went on a 12-5 spurt, as Murray chipped in six points for the visitors, building a 50-43 lead with 8:13 on the clock. Two lay-ups by Middlebury junior Sarah Marcus (Williamsville, N.Y.) kept the Panthers within five, but Conn. College muscled-out a 10-3 run for a 62-50 lead with 1:13 remaining. A Marcus three cut the lead to 64-57 with 18 seconds left, but the Panthers could not get any closer in the final seconds, falling 66-57.

Borsinger’s 21 led all scorers as she shot 8-18 from the floor and 5-8 from downtown. Marcus and Lowry each had nine points while Kirk added eight points and a team-best nine rebounds to go with her game-high five assists.

Middlebury topped Wesleyan 62-45 in Pepin Gym as Pett collected a career-high 23 rebounds in the NESCAC contest. With Pett’s prowess on the glass, Middlebury held a decisive 52-35 rebounding edge over the Cardinals, who connected on only 17-61 shots from the floor (.279).

The Panthers built an early 13-5 lead as Pett started the game with a bucket, while Kirk and Borsinger each added four points during the opening run. Wesleyan closed the gap midway through the first half, eventually taking a 19-18 lead on a pair of free throws by Karly Finison at 6:43. Middlebury closed the stanza with a 10-0 run, capped by a three from Borsinger with 1:28 left, before Jackie Browne answered from long distance for the Cardinals, for a 28-22 Panther lead at intermission.

Wesleyan regained the lead in the second half with a 9-2 scoring burst, highlighted by KellyAnn Rooney’s four points. The teams traded leads four times midway through the second half before a made free throw shot by Middlebury senior  Kate Logan (Washington Crossing, Pa.) gave the Panthers the lead for good at 10:17. Leading 39-38, Middlebury extended its lead to double-digits over the next five minutes, building a 51-40 advantage with 5:09 left in the game as Marcus scored five of her 13 points during the run. With the lead hovering around 10 points, the Cardinals were forced to foul, but the Panthers were sharp at the line, hitting 11-14 free throws to keep Wesleyan at bay, for the 62-45 victory.

Kirk led all scorers with 16 points on 8-14 shooting, as Marcus chipped in with 13 off the bench and Lowry added 10 points for Middlebury. Beyond Pett’s career-best 23 rebounds, she added six points and swiped three steals.

• Women’s basketball record: 8-6

• Up next: 1/15 @ C. Sawyer – 7:00, 1/18 vs. Hamilton – 8:00, 1/20 vs. Albany Pharm. – 2:00