MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College women’s basketball team split two NESCAC home games this past weekend before winning a non-league road contest on Tuesday.
The 14-2 Panthers will host NESCAC foe Williams at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
On this past Friday the Panthers stretched a 13-point halftime lead (30-17) to as many as 27 (66-39) before coasting to a 70-58 victory over visiting Bates (5-7, 1-3 NESCAC).
Kira Waldman led four Panthers in double figures with 14 points, while Colleen Caveney chipped in with 11. Emily Wander and Betsy Knox netted 10 points each for the hosts, while Catherine Harrison added eight points. Alex Huffman produced seven points and a team-best eight rebounds, while Maya Davis pulled down seven and Waldman added six boards.
Mia Roy paced the Bobcats with 15 points, including four threes. Middlebury held a 40-25 edge on the boards.
On Saturday, Tufts, ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division III, outscored Middlebury 18-6 in the third quarter on the way to defeating the the No. 25 Panthers, 74-58.
The Jumbos led 36-33 at the break after both teams shot better than 60 percent in the first half before the Panthers cooled off in the third period, which ended with Tufts on top, 54-39. The Panthers made it 64-54 game on a three from Knox at 4:05 on the clock, but Tufts answered with a 10-0 run.
Caveney led the Panthers with 13 points, Davis scored 12, while Knox added 11. Huffman finished with eight rebounds, while Harrison had six. With her six rebounds, Harrison moved into fifth place all-time at Middlebury with 654.
Jac Knapp scored 22 points for Tufts (14-1, 3-1 NESCAC), and Erica DeCandido recorded 18 points and four assists.
On Tuesday, the Panthers took a 14-2 lead at Smith on the way to a 73-60 victory. Smith (10-5) came no closer than seven points after Middlebury’s opening burst.
Knox paced the Panthers with 20 points. Harrison added 17 with 14 rebounds, while Huffman scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Wander added 15 points off the bench. The Panthers sank nine of 17 three-point attempts, including three by Wander and two each by Knox and Huffman.
Lauren Bondi had 19 points, seven assists and five steals for Smith, while Kennedy Guest-Pritchard scored 19 points to go along with 12 boards.