NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team dropped a 70-55 decision to Middlebury College on Friday night in a NESCAC clash at Luce Field House.
Augusta Dixon paced the Panthers (13-3 overall, 3-0 NESCAC) with game highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds and also recorded five assists, four steals and a pair of blocks. Alexa Mustafaj finished with 19 points and four assists while Catherine Carrafiello tacked on 12 points and five boards.
Addi Hunter (Saint George, Vt.) led the Camels with 14 points while
Catherine Cole (Lebanon, N.H.) chipped in 11.
Hayle Thompson (Maynard, Mass.) added 10 points and led Conn on the glass with seven rebounds.
Middlebury got off to a hot start, shooting 11-for-17 in the opening quarter to grab a 25-12 advantage. Dixon and Mustafaj fueled the offense with nine points apiece in the period, and it seemed like the Panthers were well on their way to a win.
The Camels had other ideas, rattling off 13 straight points in the second quarter to narrow the margin to 27-25 with 2:50 left in the half. Middlebury got back-to-back buckets from Carrafiello to stop the bleeding, and the visitors took a 31-25 lead into the locker room at the break.
In the second half, Conn trailed by eight before vaulting into the lead behind a 12-2 run. Hunter had four points during the stretch, and a basket by Thompson gave the Camels their first lead of the half at 41-40 with 3:00 to go in the third.
Middlebury scored the final seven points of the period to lead 47-42 heading to the fourth. The Panthers then kept their foot on the gas, expanding the lead to 52-42 behind a three from Keeley Baglio and a lay-up by Dixon.
Avery Burns (Orleans, Mass.) and Cole fired back with threes of their own, but the Camels never got closer than five the rest of the way. Middlebury slammed the door by outscoring Conn 10-0 in the final 4:27, extending its winning streak to six games with the victory.
Conn (10-7 overall, 0-3 NESCAC) will next host Williams College on Saturday, January 18 at 3:00 p.m.
