Rochester, N.Y.- November 14, 2025 - The Springfield College women's basketball team held off Middlebury in its first game at the 2025 Chuck Resler Tournament on Friday afternoon, 58-56.
The Pride now improve to 2-1 while the Panthers start their season off 0-1. Springfield will play either host Rochester or SUNY Geneseo in the championship game tomorrow evening at 8:00 pm, while Middlebury will play the loser of the aforementioned teams at 3:00 pm in the consolation game.
Carrie Hess (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Claire Finney (Haverhill, Mass.), and Natalie Lucas (Madison, Conn.) were all in double figures for the Springfield. Hess led the Pride with 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks while Finney had 14 points and four assists. Lucas had 13 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
Madison Lopez (Bronx, N.Y.) opened up the game with a an offensive rebound and layup to get the scoring going. The teams traded a few baskets as Springfield took a a 12-7 lead before Middlebury went on a 7-0 run highlighted by a three-pointer from Islay Moore before going into the second quarter tied at 14.
Middlebury took the lead in the second quarter after a quick three from Molly Keaveney before Springfield went on to outscore Middlebury 16-9 while going on a 13-2 run sparked by Lucas in the last four minutes of the quarter. The Pride shot 58.3-percent from the floor to lead 30-23 going into the halftime break.
Springfield opened up the third quarter with six straight points before Middlebury took a timeout for Teagan Lind to then come out and score back-to-back baskets. The Pride then scored six-straight points again to give them a 14-point lead - the biggest lead of the game and the Pride maintained a 12 point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Finney scored nine of her 14 points in the third.
With Springfield up 49-37 to start the quarter, the Panthers cut their deficit to seven following a layup from Moore as Middlebury went on a 9-5 run in the first three and a half minutes of the fourth. The Panthers then went on a 10-0 run to outscore Springfield 19-9, but fell just short of the comeback with the final score at 58-56 in favor of the Pride.
Springfield shot 42.4-percent from the floor (25-for-59), 26.7-percent from beyond the arc (4-for-15), and drained four of five shots from the free throw line (80-percent) while Middlebury shot 35.5-percent from the floor (22-62), 33.3-percent from three point range (6-for-18), and 85.7-percent from the charity stripe (6-for-7).
As a team, Springfield held a 39-35 edge on rebounds, scored 38 of its 58 points in the paint, and scored just eight points off of 13 Middlebury turnovers.
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