MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell to cross-state rival Middlebury College on Wednesday evening, as the Panthers were victorious 65-30 in non-conference action. Middlebury sophomore guard Alexa Mustafaj paced the Panther offense, scoring 22 points in 26 minutes to lead her team to the win.

For the Cards, Kortney McCarthy (Peru, N.Y./Peru) was the leading scorer, registering eight points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and a block. Izzy Wilbur (Red Creek, N.Y./Red Creek) added seven points as she knocked down two three-pointers and Koree Stillwell (Au Sable Forks, N.Y./AuSable Valley) had the only other made three-pointer, as she has now made all three of her attempts from deep so far this season. Along with her 22 points, Mustafaj had three steals, while Gabby Stuart was the only other player in double-digits for scoring as she posted 10 points and three steals as well. 

Plattsburgh struggled from the field in the Wednesday night matchup, as the team posted a 25% shooting clip while only connecting on 15% of their three-point shots on 20 attempts. Not only did Middlebury shoot the ball well, making 48% of their shots from the field, but they also made 82% of their free throws and controlled the interior. The Panthers won the rebounding battle 38-25 and outscored the Cards 36-12 in the paint. Turnovers were an issue for the Cards once again, committing 24, but they were able to force 20 turnovers from Middlebury. However, the Panthers took advantage of the Cardinal's mistakes with more frequency, scoring 25 points off turnovers to Plattsburgh's eight. 

The Cards drop to 3-6 overall with the loss and still stand at 0-3 in conference play. The team will open up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) home action this weekend, as they host Cortland on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. and then Oswego St. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at noon Middlebury moves to 4-3 with the win and matches up with Skidmore on Friday, Dec. 9. 

The Panthers were able to control the game from the outset, as they had a sizzling first quarter to immediately put Plattsburgh in a big hole. Middlebury was 8-12 from the field in the first quarter, taking an 18-8 into the first break. In the second quarter, the Cards were able to tighten up their defense forcing Middlebury to shoot 36% from the field, but the Panthers knocked down all six of their free throws to take a 35-16 lead into halftime. 

The second half was very similar to the first as the Panthers continued to control the interior and Mustafaj, who had 12 points at halftime, put together 10 points in just eight minutes in the third quarter. The second half saw Middlebury continue to build the lead, eventually taking the game by a final score of 65-30. 

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