CASTLETON, Vt. – Castleton used an early second-half run to take the lead from Plymouth St. and made enough buckets down the stretch to finish with a 95-89 win over the visiting Panthers on Tuesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium. 

The Spartans went on a 15-2 run, spanning the conclusion of the first half and the beginning of the second to turn an 11-point deficit into a one-point lead.  They wouldn't relinquish the lead again as they improve to 1-1 on the season. Plymouth St. falls to 1-2 on the year. 

Castleton held the Panthers to just 5-for-18 shooting from beyond the arc in the game and forced 24 turnovers, which led to 37 points for the home team. The Spartans shot 40.5 percent from the field and hit 13 triples while assisting on 18 of their 30 field goals. 

Senior Mark Comstock had a strong all-around performance for Castleton with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and zero turnovers. Sophomore Chris Barletta joined him in double figures with 12 points and added a team-high seven assists and three rebounds. 

Plymouth St. shot 47.1 percent from the field, including an impressive 11-for-16 performance from junior Petey Skevas. Skevas finished with a game-high 30 points and also added four assists and a steal. Sophomore Alex Burt and junior Mark MacGregor joined him in double figures with 19 and 10 points respectively. 

Both teams struggled to shoot early, with a jumper by Logan White knotting the score 9-9 at the 13:46 mark. The Panthers scored four straight to take the lead and then extended their advantage to 24-15 with 9:19 left in the half.

The Spartans managed to cut the deficit to four, 26-22, with 6:40 left; however, a 12-2 run by Plymouth St. pushed the lead to 38-24 with just 2:57 remaining. Trailing by 12, 41-29, at the two-minute mark, Castleton scored the last nine points of the half to go into the break down just 41-38. 

Senior Dammy Mustapha tied the game just eight seconds into the second half on a triple from the top of the key. MacGregor responded with a layup and Mustapha countered with another shot from beyond on arc to put the Spartans in front 44-43. That triggered an 11-2 run, punctuated by a Mustapha layup with 15:15 left to give Castleton a 55-45 lead.

The Spartans soon pushed the lead as high as 14, 62-48, at the 13:02 mark. Plymouth St. wouldn't go away, despite another Castleton run in the final eight minutes. The Panthers eventually clawed back from a 15-point deficit with 6:28 left with pull within four, 85-81, on a jumper by Skevas with 2:36 remaining in the game. 

Logan White responded with a three from the corner off a nice Barletta pass on the next possession to push the margin to seven. The Panthers were forced to try and foul their way back into the game during the final 90 seconds; however, Castleton made enough  free throws to finish with the six-point victory. 

White and Mustapha both finished in double figures, with 18 and 14 points respectively. White added four steals while Mustapha pulled down four rebounds. Jeremy Odena and Tanner Darwell each chipped in with six points as 13 different players scored for the Spartans.

Castleton returns to action on Monday, Nov. 26 at 7 pm when the Spartans travel to face Skidmore. Plymouth St. next plays on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 8 pm against Rivier.