Castleton, VT – Derick Faragon (Schenectady, NY) led Castleton on an 11-0 run with four minutes remaining to give Castleton a 72-71 win over Lyndon State Saturday evening in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) men's basketball action at the Glenbrook Gymnasium.

Trailing 69-59 with 4:23 left in the contest, Faragon netted five of his game-high 23 points during an 11-0 run over the next four minutes that gave the Spartans a 70-69 lead. Keith Schneider (Benson, VT) capped the run, converting an offensive put-back with 34 seconds remaining. Ben Sackett (Lyndonville, VT) sunk a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to give the Hornets a 71-70 lead. Faragon drove from the left wing on the next Spartan possession and was fouled on his pull-up attempt. The sophomore swingman coolly sank both free throws with four ticks remaining, and Castleton escaped with the win.

Mark Comstock (Rutland, VT) was 6-for-8 from the field for 12 points, while Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY) and Greg Hughes (West Rutland, VT) each chipped in 11 for the 13-7, 7-2 Spartans. Schneider, who was instrumental in the Spartan comeback had five steals, including three during the 11-0 surge.

Sackett led the Hornets with 17 points as Lyndon State falls to 7-12, 3-6. Jason Gray (East Thetford, VT) added 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Pat McCarthy (Hardwick, VT) and D.J. Campbell (Winooski, VT) chipped in 14 and 12 respectively.

The game featured 10 lead changes and four ties as Lyndon State took a 33-30 lead into the interval. The back-and-forth continued until the Hornets used an 8-2 spurt late in the second half, and held the Spartans scoreless for over three minutes before Faragon, Schneider and the Spartans took over down the stretch.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday, February 9 with the Spartans playing host to Green Mountain College at 8:00 p.m. and the Hornets hosting Johnson State at 7:30 p.m.