Middlebury 58, Bates 50
at Middlebury Vt.

MIDDLEBURY WOMEN UPEND BATES, 58-50

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Middlebury College junior Kristin Hanley scored a game-high 17 points, including four-of-five 3-pointers, as the Panthers defeated the visiting Bates College Bobcats, 58-50, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball matchup tonight.

Bates (14-5, 4-2 NESCAC) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before cutting the gap to eight, 37-29, at halftime. The Bobcats then opened the second stanza on a 12-3 run, taking their first and only lead of the night, 41-40, on a mid-range jumper by first-year forward Katie King (Turner, Maine) with 11:48 left in the contest.

Middlebury (17-4, 5-2 NESCAC) responded with a 10-2 run of their own over the next six minutes. Hanley scored six points in the decisive run, including the last four on two free throws and a jumper that put the Panthers up 50-43. The Bobcats clawed back into the contest at 53-50 on a layup by Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) with 2:31 left, but those were the last points Bates would score as the Panthers hit five-of-six free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

In addition to Hanley, Megan McCosker added 13 points and Alexis Hollinger had 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Panthers. Middlebury overcame 20 turnovers with a 17-7 advantage from the free throw line, while holding the Bobcats to 33 percent shooting and their lowest scoring output of the season at 50 points.

Bates was paced by 10 points each from senior Kate Dockery (New York, N.Y.) and sophomore Lauren Dubois (Beverly, Mass.), while first-year reserve forward Olivia Zurek (Arlington, Mass.) had nine rebounds. The Bobcats had 14 assists on 19 baskets, including five from Dockery and four from Flaherty.

Box score available