THE BASICS:
 
- Score: Middlebury College 65, MIT 51
 
- Records: MIT (13-6); Middlebury (14-7)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: Middlebury College outscored MIT, 20-8, in the third quarter, helping propel it to a 65-51 victory in a non-conference women's basketball game on Tuesday night. Junior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) powered the Engineers with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her 11^th double-double of the season. Alexa Mustafaj amassed 43 points for the Panthers, just shy of tying the facility record of 44 which was set by graduate student Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) almost exactly two years ago.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- In a closely played opening frame, a layup by junior Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) brought MIT within 11-9 with two seconds remaining.
 
- The Engineers carried the momentum into the second stanza as they built a 22-16 lead on a jumper by Nwogu at the 5:28 mark. During Middlebury's next possession, Mustafaj knocked down a jumper, sparking a 13-2 run which put the Panthers ahead for good and resulted in a 29-24 edge at halftime. Mustafa accounted for all the visitors' points during the rally.
 
- Middlebury gradually pulled away in the third quarter as its 20-8 scoring margin increased its advantage to 49-32 at the end of the period.
 
- Despite the deficit MIT continued to attack as it narrowed the gap to 56-47 courtesy of Nwogu's jumper with 1:57 left to play. Mustafaj replied with five points in the next 54 seconds, putting the game out of reach for the Engineers.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Junior Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) posted 12 points and two steals while Antonakakis recorded 10 points and two steals. Sophomore Kaya Weiser (Villanova, Pa.) had a game-high three steals as sophomore Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) led all players with three blocks.
 
- Augusta Dixon tallied 22 rebounds, 12 points, and three assists while Bethany Lucey grabbed seven rebounds. Brooke Collins dished out a game-high four assists as Gabby Stuart added three of her own.
 
- MIT ended the night with advantages in points off turnovers (20-19), points in the paint (28-24), and bench scoring (13-6) while Middlebury led the way in rebounds (41-35), fast break points (12-4), and second-chance points (4-2).
 
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams return to conference play this week. MIT will travel to NEWMAC foe Emerson College on Wednesday, Jan. 31 for a 5:00 p.m. tip off. Middlebury, meanwhile, will visit NESCAC rival Wesleyan University on Friday, Feb. 2 for a 7:00 p.m. game.
 
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