Box Score

Box Score

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Freshman Sarah Wetmore's layup with 28.1 seconds left in overtime proved to be the difference as Rensselaer edged Middlebury, 69-66, in non-conference women's hoops action on Friday.  The Red Hawks, who have now won seven of their last eight games, improve to 7-2 overall while the Panthers drop to 4-5.

Tied 57-57 at the end of regulation, the teams headed into overtime with determination as Middlebury got things going with a free throw bucket by senior guard Emily Johnson (Lower Gwynedd, PA/Mt. St. Joseph).  But it was Rensselaer's Elizabeth Barker (Suffield, CT/Cathedral) who gave the visiting team the edge just seconds later as she poured in back-to-back layups to make it a 62-58 advantage.

Plagued by foul troubles throughout the contest, RPI saw its lead slip away thanks to consecutive penalties starting at the 3:06 mark.  Middlebury's Johnson and sophomore Alison Wells (Waterville, VT/Lamoille) each drained a pair of free throws to tie things at 62-62 with 2:22 remaining in overtime.

The Panthers tied the game at 64-all with two minutes left and gained the advantage on free throw shots by sophomore Lauren Sanchez (Seattle, WA/Lakeside), but Wetmore tied things at 66-66 with a layup at 1:21.

Drawing the foul and a bucket with just 28.1 seconds remaining, Wetmore helped RPI seal the victory as the Red Hawks played solid defense in the final seconds for the win.

Despite holding a 27-26 lead after the first half of play, Rensselaer was unable to stop Middlebury in the early part of the second half.  The Panthers went up 33-27 at the 17:56 mark before Coleman added the first points of the half for the Red Hawks on a bucket inside the arc.

Middlebury continued to push and led by as many as six (46-40) with ten minutes remaining, but Rensselaer mounted a comeback, battling back and forth with the Panthers till the 2:03 mark when it took its first lead since the first half on a bucket by Wetmore (57-55).  Johnson added a bucket at the 1:32 mark to tie things up and the two teams capitalized on numerous turnovers and missed opportunities to set up the overtime drama.

Senior Whitney Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda), whose seven points in the first half gave RPI a 27-26 lead into intermission, finished with a team and game-high 20 points.  She also added eight rebounds and a game-best four assists.  Barker had ten points and a game-high 18 assists (11 offensive) while Wetmore (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln Sudbury Regional) added 18 points, including seven in the overtime session.

For Middlebury, Johnson tallied a game-best 20 points.  Junior Kaitlyn Fallon (Swarthmore, PA/Episcopal Academy) added 12 points and nine rebounds while senior Ashley Barron (Brockton, MA/St. Johnsbury Academy) poured in 10 points.

Rensselaer returns to action on Tuesday with its final non-conference match of the season against Colby Sawyer at Robison Gym.  Tip-off is at 2pm.  The Panthers are also in action on Tuesday at Plattsburgh State (6pm).