Panthers Outlast AMCATS in Women's Basketball Overtime Thriller, 64-59

PAXTON, Mass.—The Middlebury College women's basketball team prevailed, 64-59 in overtime, in a non-conference game against the AMCATS of Anna Maria College that saw neither team lead by more than seven points throughout all 65 minutes at the Fuller Activities Center on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Panthers improve to 7-3 on the season, while the loss drops the AMCATS to 4-8 overall.

Anna Maria was paced by Christina Gauvin (Dudley, Mass.), who netted a team-high 16 points on a 6-for-13 effort from the floor with three three-pointers. Senior Trafficia Warburton (Worcester, Mass.) scored 14 points with nine rebounds and seven steals, while freshman Kristina Russo (South Windsor, Conn.) added nine points off the bench.

Middlebury was paced by a freshman duo of Sarah Kaufman (Boulder, Colo.) and Rachel Collins (Bedford, N.H.), who both scored 15 points each. Sophomore Elizabeth Knox (Falmouth, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points.

The first half saw two lead changes and seven ties over the 20 minutes. The Panthers took their largest lead of the game at 17-10 with 8:01 still to play following a layup by Knox, but the AMCATS responded with a 9-2 run to tie the score at 19-19 following a Gauvin three-point basket. The AMCATS quickly took a five-point lead with 2:56 to play on a jumper by Russo and another three by Gauvin, but the Panthers used the remaining time to score seven unanswered points for a 28-26 halftime lead.

The AMCATS would outscore the Panthers 25-23 in the second half, which saw an additional four scoring ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points in the second half. With five minutes still to play, the AMCATS held a three-point lead at 48-45. From there, both teams entered a three-minute scoring draught, which was broken up with a layup by Middlebury's Knox to cut the lead to one.

Anna Maria would again open a three-point margin with 1:49 still to play, but Middlebury netted back-to-back layups to take a one-point lead at 51-50 with 13 seconds remaining in regulation. An untimely foul by the Panthers sent Anna Maria's Lindsay Bond (Webster, Mass.) to the line, where she hit her second free-throw to send the game to overtime.

The story changed in overtime, as the Panthers scored the first basket of the extra time and never trailed, outscoring the AMCATS 13-8 en route to the 64-59 win.

The AMCATS forced the Panthers into 26 turnovers on the afternoon, resulting in 17 AMCAT steals. In addition to Warburton's seven, the team also saw four steals by Bond and three from sophomore Deja Taitt (Cambia Heights, N.Y.).

Middebury outscored the AMCATS 26-14 in the paint and held a 28-10 lead in bench points, but Anna Maria held advantages in the remaining scoring categories: points off turnovers (27-13), second-chance points (11-9), and fast-break points (10-6).

Anna Maria will open Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at home on Tuesday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m. against Norwich. The Panthers will travel to Plattsburgh State for a 7:30 p.m. game on Tuesday.