Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information
ROCHESTER, NY. — Middlebury closed the semester with a thrilling 83-82 overtime win at Nazareth (0-0) on Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers (7-1) return to action when they host Mt. St. Mary on December 31 at 2:00 p.m.
Leading 11-10 after one quarter, Middlebury saw Nazareth go up 20-12 after a 10-1 run to start the second session. A hoop from Reagan McDonald and a three from Kira Waldman made it a three-point game (20-17) at the 5:17 mark. The Panthers went on top 25-24 on a three-pointer from McDonald with 1:04 remaining and took a 30-29 lead into the intermission with another three from Waldman at the buzzer.
The Golden Flyers opened the second half on an 8-0 run, going up 37-30 on a three from Rachel Benedict at the 6:16 mark. Middlebury chipped away at the margin, regaining the lead (41-40) on a pair of free throws from Betsy Knox with 2:28 remaining in the quarter.
Nazareth led 48-46 after 30 minutes, before extending its lead to 52-46 with 9:15 remaining. The lead grew to as many as nine (66-57) at the 4:40 mark, before the Panthers chipped away. Middlebury later went on a 6-0 run to cut the margin to 70-69 with 1:22 remaining. Maya Davis stepped to the line with 23 seconds remaining, sinking a pair to knot the game at 73-73. Nazareth had a shot to win the game in the closing seconds, but the shot was blocked by Betsy Knox.
Neither team led by more than two points in the extra session, with the hosts holding an 82-81 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, the Panthers worked the ball around before a shot was missed. Davis grabbed the rebound and converted the put-back to give Middlebury an 83-82 lead with 1.9 seconds remaining. The Golden Flyers had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but a shot from the post was again blocked by Knox to secure the win.
Waldman was one of four Panthers in double figures with 20 points to go along with six assists. Alyna Baharozian earned career bests with 19 points and five three-point field goals made (5-6), to go along with nine boards. Knox finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, while Davis scored 17 points and grabbed a career/game-high 16 boards for her second double-double of the season. McDonald dished out five assists and scored nine points in the win.
Benedict led all scorers with 29 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Jadyn Abrams netted 13 with nine boards.
Middlebury shot 46.8 percent from the floor and held a 46-40 rebounding advantage.