CLAREMONT, Calif. — The Middlebury College women’s basketball team split two games on a weekend trip to California and will enter league play this weekend with a 9-2 record. The Panthers will host Connecticut at 7 p.m. on Friday and Wesleyan at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
On Dec. 29 host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps edged the Panthers, 54-53, when CMS’s Corinne Bogle beat the buzzer with a floater in the lane. CMS improved to 8-2.
Panthers rallied in the second quarter to lead at the break, 32-29, and stretched the lead to 45-39 entering the final period.
But the Panthers went cold and CMS went on a 13-2 run to lead by 52-47 with 1:38 to go.
The Panthers then went on a 6-0 run on a three from Sarah Kaufman, an Alex Huffman layup at 0:23 seconds, and a Catherine Harrison free throw at 0:5.6 to make it 53-52. Bogle (19 points) then went coast-to-coast and lofted a shot that crawled over the front of the rim for the game-winner. 
Kaufman led the Panthers with 16 points. Maja Davis recorded 14 points and nine rebounds, and Betsy Knox had eight points and eight rebounds. CMS held the Panthers to 29.5 percent shooting.
On Saturday the Panthers led throughout in a 69-52 victory over host Pomona-Pitzer (2-9). The Sagehens cut a 20-point deficit to 53-46 in the fourth quarter, but Middlebury answered with a 10-2 run.
Knox led the Panthers with 16 points, Caveney had 12, Harrison recorded 10 points and eight rebounds, and Kira Waldman added nine points. Middlebury outrebounded the Sagehens, 42-22; assisted 20 of 27 baskets; and outscored the Sagehens by 32-8 in the paint.