Box Score CASTLETON, Vt. – Castleton overcame a eight-point halftime deficit to pull within two in the final minutes but couldn't overtake Springfield, falling to the Pride 74-70 on Tuesday evening in Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Logan White's sixth three of the game cut the Springfield lead to just two, 72-70, with 3:38 left in the game. The teams traded multiple empty possessions, with each squad's defense forcing the other into tough shots. Leading by two with 12 seconds left, a Nick Sienkiewicz jumper missed its mark extend the lead and Mark Comstock corralled the rebound.
The Spartans quickly brought the ball over half-court and swung the ball to Comstock on the right wing. The senior drove toward the baseline, hesitated under the corner of the backboard and then tried to shoulder his way to the hoop. Before he could attempt a shot he was whistled for a charge with only 2.1 seconds left. The Spartans were forced to foul with 1.1 seconds left and Jordan Rote iced the game by making both foul shots for the 74-70 final.
Despite the late call, Comstock had one of his best games of year, matching his career-high with 29 points. He also added ten rebounds and three assists. White was the only other Spartan in double figures, finishing with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting with six three-pointers.
Rote led Springfield with 20 points and added five rebounds from his guard spot. Pat Rossi made his presence felt inside with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Robbie Burke added a double-double of 11 points and ten rebounds.
Castleton played even with the Pride through the first five minutes of action, with a White layup tying the game 10-10 at the 15:17 mark. An 11-5 run pushed the Springfield lead to six, at the 12:08 mark.
The Spartans closed within three on a triple by White less than a minute later, though the Pride eventually stretched their lead as high as 11 on a Rossi layup with 4:48 remaining in the half. Castleton kept working and cut the deficit to 46-38 at the break.
It was a see-saw second half with the Springfield lead fluctuating as high as 12 and as low as four over the first 11 minutes. Trailing by 12, Tyler Ackley hit a pair of free throws with 8:47 left to make it a 65-55 game, and start a 9-0 run which left Castleton down just three only a minute and a half later.
Trailing by six with 4:49 left, White hit a three, and after a layup by Rossi, connected on another triple to close the gap to 72-70 with 3:38 remaining.
Castleton held Springfield to 46.9 percent shooting for the game, including 4-for-21 from beyond the arc. The Spartans shot 39.1 percent from the field and hit 11 of their 33 three-point attempts.
The Spartans drop to 4-5 overall with the loss while the Pride improve to 8-2. Castleton returns to action on Saturday, hosting Elms at 3 pm in Glenbrook Gymnasium.
