CLIFTON PARK — A 64-year-old Saratoga Springs woman died Tuesday when the car in which she was riding spun out of control on the Northway and was struck by a bus carrying a college lacrosse team.

The 65-year-old driver of the car, a Porsche, who also is from Saratoga Springs, was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition. Police declined to release their names or say if they are related until family members had been notified.

"There are only four minor injuries to students from the bus," State Police Lt. Greg Thomas said. "The Porsche lost control for an unknown reason in front of the bus."

The bus landed on its side on the right side of the road, while the sports car veered into the median. A white van also was struck, but Thomas said it was unclear whether the van hit debris or one of the other vehicles. The van had minor damage and its driver was unhurt.

The accident closed the southbound lanes between Exits 9 and 10 for five and a half hours after the 11:45 a.m. crash.

The 34 members of the team from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., climbed out of a rear roof hatch of the disabled bus and were taken to the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Fire Department. Their two coaches, a trainer and the driver were not hurt.

"We're fortunate to come out with some very minor injuries," interim head coach Patrick Ivory said. "Initial reaction was surprise, shock. It was pretty chaotic. Our bus driver did a phenomenal job keeping us safe."

Ivory said he was at the front of the bus and saw the Porsche, but he said he would leave describing details of the accident to State Police. His students called their parents to tell them they are safe, he said. "We're really happy our student athletes and staff members are OK," said Josh Kessler, a Saint Michael's spokesman. "A lot of our teams travel far to play games and we're fortunate that accidents are very, very rare."

"All the parents are still shaking," Bettina DeCosta of Shoreham, the mother of midfielder Cooper Quenneville, told the Burlington Free Press on Tuesday night. She said players seem to be holding up well. "They're in the middle of it. We're up here. Parents are feeling helpless."

State Police could not say whether the couple in the Porsche were wearing seat belts, but Thomas said there was no sign the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol. Thomas said an accident reconstruction team is trying to determine what happened.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

In trying to reconstruct the accident, police want to talk to drivers who may have witnessed it. Anyone with information is asked to call State Police at 783-3211.

The Saint Michael's lacrosse team stayed on campus during the 2,000-student college's spring break for scheduled games.

Ivory said he hoped his team would be able to reschedule its game set for Wednesday against Mercy College, in Westchester County. "As far as we know, the game is still on," Kessler said.

Another bus was being sent to drive the team to Mercy College. Saint Michael's is nationally ranked in NCAA Division II lacrosse. The team has a game scheduled for Saturday on Long Island.

Ivory is the interim coach, the third leader the team has had in three years, the school newspaper reported last month.

"The team has been through a lot," said Ivory, a 2008 graduate of Saint Michael's. "The team has bonded well together, and they've learned how to deal with adversity."

Randy Charlebois, a manager of Premier Coach in Milton, Vt., which owns the bus and employs the driver, said Saint Michael's College had chartered the bus, which was painted with its Purple Knights logo.

Charlebois said he spoke with the bus driver, who was not injured, but declined to identify him.

"We commend his efforts," Charlebois said, adding that the driver managed to maneuver the bus out of traffic during the incident.

"Our thoughts and biggest concerns right now are with the students on our bus, as well as the other people in the vehicle," the manager said.

Premier Coach employed 96 drivers, operated 61 buses and coaches and traveled a total of nearly 2.3 million miles in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's online safety measurement system. None of the company's drivers were cited for any kind of impairment in 2012, and one crash with one minor injury was reported, according to the federal report.

Dozens of police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians were at the crash scene.

Jonesville Volunteer Fire Department sent four emergency vehicles to the scene. A spokeswoman for the Shenendehowa school district said the district sent a bus to pick up passengers.

"The troopers have asked us to help out and to take the people on the charter bus to a safe place," said Kelly DeFeciani.

The Red Cross provided food and beverages for rescuers.

Staff writers Kenneth C. Crowe II and Bryan Fitzgerald, and Burlington Free Press writer Adam Silverman contributed to this report. tobrien@timesunion.com • 518-454-5092 • @timobrientu