Waterville, ME - The Castleton State College men's basketball team placed three players in double-figures and used a 12-0 run late in the second half to pull away in a 69-58 victory over Thomas College in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon.

Derick Faragon (Schenectady, NY) scored a game-high 22 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, while Jared Paul (Tampa, FL) added 20 points and Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY) 13 to pace the offense. Each played a key roll in the late Spartan Surge that turned a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead in just over four minutes.

Terrier senior Darrell Alexander (Fairfield, TX) sunk a three-pointer with 8:50 remaining in the contest to give Thomas a 52-47 edge. Greg Hughes (West Rutland, VT) converted on the ensuing possession, and after a Mark Comstock (Rutland, VT) steal, Hughes set up Paul for a lay-up to cut the lead to one. Knight scored the next two Castleton hoops in succession, followed by a Faragon jumper to make it 59-52 with 4:41 remaining. Castleton continued to build on its lead, stretching it to 65-54 on a another Faragon bucket with 1:31 left in the contest, before settling in for the 10-point win.

Francisco Alicea (Foxboro, MA) led the Terriers with 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Jarrad DeVaughn (Brockton, MA) chipped in a dozen points in a supporting role. Isaiah Brathwaite (Farmington, ME) was the lone Terrier starter in double-figures with 10 points as the Thomas bench outscored the starting unit 32-27.

Castleton shot 52% (26-50) from the field in the contest, led by Faragon who went 8-10, including 2-2 from three-point range. Paul canned 3-of-5 from distance, including a crucial pair midway through the second half that led to the game's fifth and sixth ties.

With the win Castleton improves to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in conference play. Thomas, the 2008-09 regular season NAC champions slip to 12-4, 4-3.

Castleton returns to action Tuesday when the Spartans play host to Johnson State at 7:30 p.m.