Box Score MIDDLEBURY, VT – The Williams Ephs (7-10, 2-3 NESCAC) fell to the Middlebury Panthers (8-7, 2-1 NESCAC) in a, 67-62 matchup that was close throughout and featured a whopping 16 lead changes.
With 21 seconds to play and down three points, Eph guard
Maggie Meehan '22 dribbled to her right, reached the top of the arc and launched a game-tying three-point attempt that rolled in and out, sealing the Middlebury victory. The Panthers had taken the three-point lead off of guard Bethany Lucey's tie-breaking three pointer from the left corner, which glanced off the backboard but still went in with 1:21 to play. Though Panthers guard Alexa Mustafaj missed one of two free throws after Meehan's miss, the Ephs didn't manage to score for the remainder of the game.
"We had opportunities to score, but we just couldn't capitalize," admitted Eph head coach
Pat Manning following the close loss. "Middlebury came up big with shots when they had to. We also had a lot of defensive lapses that cost us."
The game was incredibly close throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points for the last three quarters. But in the fourth quarter, the Ephs could never take the lead despite tying the game twice in the final minutes. Though the Ephs scored 28 bench points compared to just 3 for the Panthers – in no small part due to a remarkable 21-point, 11-rebound effort by guard
Mia Holtze '23 – the Panthers still eked out the victory thanks to the play of guard Alexa Mustafaj (23p, 8/16 FGM), forward Emily Downer (13p, 6r), and Lucey (10p, 10r), who notched a double-double in addition to hitting what turned out to be the game-winning shot.
"We've got to play better team defense, and we gave them some easy looks," commented Manning, "It's just consistency, too. We're not as consistent as we need to be."
For the Ephs, guards
Maggie Meehan '22 (14p, 3a, 2s) and
Ryann Taylor '25 (11p, 4r) hit a number of clutch shots, especially late in the game, and combined for three of the Ephs' five three-point makes. Forward
Maddy Mandyck '23 (6p, 15r) was once again a force on the boards, helping the Ephs earn a 44-36 edge in team rebounding.
Williams quickly fell into a 14-5 hole early in the first quarter, but quickly fought back once Holtze, who scored points on a 10-0 Williams run, came off the bench. Though the Ephs led by three with a minute to go in the quarter, the Panthers took the lead back with layups on consecutive possessions by Downer and Mustafaj.
The second quarter featured nine lead changes, the first of which came on a jumper by Mandyck to put the Ephs up 23-22. Amazingly, neither team led by more than two points for the entire quarter. With 47 seconds left in the half, Tounkara hit a three, the Ephs' fourth of the half, to give Williams a 40-38 lead going into halftime.
Holtze once again carried the load in the third quarter, scoring the first six Williams points to keep the Ephs in the game. Meehan, however, caught fire towards the end of the third quarter, hitting a jumper to give Williams a 48-46 lead, which turned out to be its last of the game. After Middlebury threatened to sprint ahead with a 6-0 run near the end of the quarter, Meehan drilled a three-pointer to cut the Middlebury lead to one at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter remained scoreless for over two minutes, but Mustafaj finally broke the scoring drought by hitting a three to give the Panthers their four-point lead back. Though Taylor responded with a driving layup to cut it to two, Middlebury guard Reagan McDonald hit another three to give Middlebury their largest lead since the first quarter at five.
The Ephs gradually clawed back, with layups by Holtze and guard
Cortland McBarron '25 narrowing the deficit to one. Following a make by Panthers guard Gianna Palli, Meehan was fouled and went to the line. After making the first free throw, Meehan missed the second, but Holtze secured a key rebound and passed the ball back to Meehan, who tied the game on a jump shot from just inside the arc.
McDonald responded with a jump shot of her own to put Middlebury back up two, but Meehan once again came through by drilling an 18-footer from near the right elbow to tie it up once again with 2:03 to play. Lucey's three on the Panthers' ensuing possession, however, ended up being the dagger.
"We had shots, but we just didn't put the ball in the basket," said Manning. "That three changed the last couple minutes of the game, but we just have to keep working on recognizing the defense and seeing what shots we have, not passing up open shots or forcing shots when you're doubled."
Though the Ephs just shot 24 for 70 (34.3%) compared to the Panthers' 25 for 60 (41.7%) mark, they were able to stay in the game by getting consistent second chances by securing 17 offensive rebounds compared to just 8 for Middlebury. The Panthers, however, shined in transition, scoring 13 points on the fast break while Williams managed just 5.
The Ephs were scheduled to come back home to play Worcester Polytechnic Institute tomorrow at 3PM, but the game has since been postponed. The Ephs' next match will instead come on the road against Connecticut College (2-13, 0-3 NESCAC) next Friday at 7PM.
