MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Skidmore College women's basketball team fell in the final minute of play to Middlebury, 52-47 at Pepin Gym on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Thoroughbreds fall to 3-5 entering the holiday break, while the Panthers improve to 6-1.
 
Guard Kelly Donnelly nearly tallied her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points to lead Skidmore, adding nine rebounds. Fellow guard Ari Faustini scored a season-high 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Guard Haley English notched seven points, three assists, and two steals coming off the bench.
 
Middlebury guard Colleen Caveney led all scorers with 15 points, going 7-for-13 from the field. Forward Betsy Knox added 10 points and three steals, while center Catherine Harrison chipped in eight points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
 
After an even first 15 minutes of play between the two teams, the Panthers went on an 8-3 spurt to take the 28-22 lead with 27 seconds left in the half.  On the other end, center Lilly Berg was fouled and sank a pair of free throws, but the Panthers came right back with a layup by Alex Huffman to take the 30-24 lead into halftime.
 
The Thoroughbreds came out strong in the second half, going on a 14-6 run. Fustini hit a deep 3-pointer to begin the run, and forward Migle Vilunaite made a pair of free throws to give the Thoroughbreds the 39-38 lead with 1:16 to go in the third. Middlebury eventually took a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter off a 3-pointer by Sabrina Weeks.
 
Both defenses were strong to begin the fourth, as neither team could get a basket in the first 3:24 of the period. English broke the drought, nailing a 3-pointer to give the Thoroughbreds a 42-41 lead, and scored on a lay-in a minute later to give Skidmore the three-point lead. Up two going into the final minute of play, Knox scored on the layup to tie the game at 47, and Harrison scored on a layup of her own in the team's next possession to take the lead. Middlebury forced the turnover on Skidmore's next possession, eventually making key free throws to preserve the win.
 
The Thoroughbreds held Middlebury to just 31.7 percent shooting from the field, but Middlebury won the rebounding battle, outrebounding Skidmore 47-37.
 
Skidmore will begin Liberty League play in their next contest, returning home to face Vassar on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m.