CASTLETON, Vt. - Castleton saw its double-digit halftime lead evaporate in the second half, but the Spartans held off the University of Maine at Farmington to finish with a 67-55 victory on Friday night in Glenbrook Gymnasium.

Castleton led by 17 points after the first 20 minutes of action, but let the Beavers right back in striking distance during the second half as the team's lead dropped as low as five midway through the second half. The Spartans still earned the 12-point win and improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 1986-87 season and 1-0 in the North Atlantic Conference. UMF dropped to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in NAC play. 

The Spartans shot 40.7 percent for the game, but just 6-for-26 in the second half. Castleton did own a distinctive edge on the boards, 44-23, including 17 offensive rebounds. Tarryn Bolognani led the team with eight rebounds and also poured in a career-high 21 points. 

Sophomore Meghan O'Sullivan also reached double figures with 16 points and four rebounds. Freshman Stephanie Linder did a bit of everything for the Spartans, finishing with six points, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks. 

UMF was buoyed by its 7-for-17 performance from beyond the arc, and shot 38.3 percent from the field overall. Holly Oliver hit three of her four attempts from downtown for 12 points and four rebounds. Kenni Norton went for a team-high 15 points, adding three assists and a pair of steals. 

The Spartans scored six points before the Beavers were able to get the ball past half court, and put the clamps on the visitors, jumping out to an 18-0 advantage capped off with a layup by Bolognani at the 14:43 mark. Castleton pushed its lead as high as 19 on multiple occasions before finishing the half with a 42-25 lead.

In the second, the Beavers opened with the first seven points, cutting the Spartan lead to ten at 42-32 with 16:56 remaining. Liz Douglass stemmed the run with a layup, but seven more by UMF trimmed the Castleton lead to just 44-39 at the 12:16 mark.

The teams traded baskets before a personal 5-0 run by Bolognani pushed the Spartan advantage back to ten, 51-41 with 8:31 left. The Beavers didn't get any closer than 11 the rest of the way as Castleton held off UMF to finish with the 67-55 victory.

Castleton returns to action on Saturday when the team hosts Thomas at 1 pm in Glenbrook Gymnasium.