Saratoga Springs, N.Y. - The Thoroughbreds were too hot for the Castleton Spartans to handle on Monday night as host Skidmore defeated the Spartans 106-85.

Jeremy Odena led the Spartans with 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting, but it wasn't enough as Castleton suffered its second loss of the season. Connor Merrill dropped 26 points to lead all scorers and snagged 10 rebounds for the Thoroughbreds, earning his second consecutive double-double.

Odena opened the game's scoring with a three-pointer that keyed a 12-5 Castleton run to begin the contest, but Skidmore came roaring back with a 9-2 run of its own keyed by seven points from Merrill that tied the game, 14-14.

The back-and-forth action continued throughout the first half. Though the lead changed only twice, the score was tied on seven different occasions in the first, as the teams traded baskets. Castleton cleaned up the boards in the first half, scoring 22 second chance points, but at halftime Skidmore held onto a slim lead 51-49. 

The Spartans took the lead in the opening minutes of the second half with a three from Logan White that put them up 52-51. The visiting squad followed that score with a 13-4 runtriggered by Dammy Mustapha, who had seven points during that stretch. Castleton led 65-54, but the Thoroughbreds shifted the tide quickly, tying the game at 69-69 with 10:21 remaining. 

Skidmore would go on a 9-0 run in the next two minutes, taking the lead 78-69, and never looked back. The Thoroughbreds outscored the Spartans 37-16 in the game's final 10 minutes, earning the 106-85 victory. 

Mustapha finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans, earning a double-double. With the loss, Castleton falls to 1-2 on the year.

The squad returns to action Friday November 30, when they host Me.-Farmington for their North Atlantic Conference opener at 7:30 pm