Waterville, Maine – Trailing by one in the final seconds, Castleton got a good look at the hoop but couldn't convert, falling to Thomas 92-91 at Larry Mahaney Gymnasium on Friday evening in North Atlantic Conference action. 

The Spartans started slow but used a second-half comeback to pull ahead before a layup by Stanley Green Jr. with 14 seconds left gave the Terriers a 92-91 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Castleton dropped to 9-9 and 7-4 in the NAC with the loss while Thomas improved to 7-8 and 4-7 in conference play. 

Mark Comstock had a double-double to lead the Spartan offense, scoring a game-high 23 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Logan White and Chris Barletta added 20 and 19 points respectively. As a team Castleton shot 52.2 percent from the field but just 7-for-26 from downtown. The Spartans also allowed 19 offensive rebounds and were outrebounded 39-32. 

Franklin Salvador finished with a team-high 18 points for Thomas, while Marquis Pollard had a career high 17 to go along with nine boards. All of the Terriers' starters reached the double-figure mark in scoring. Thomas shot 46.5 percent from the floor, while going 12-for-28 (42.9%) from beyond the arc. 

The Terriers opened the game with a dunk by Pollard and led for the entire 20 minutes. Thomas saw its lead stretch as high as 16 on two occasions, the final coming on a three by Levi Barnes with 1:20 left in the half. The Terriers finished the opening stanza with a 50-36 lead. They shot 51.4 percent from the floor while the Spartans finished the half shooting 51.2 percent from the field and just 3-for-10 from downtown. 

Thomas added to its lead in the beginning of the second half, extending the lead as high at 18. A 10-0 run by the Spartans cut the deficit to seven with 15:23 remaining. Minutes later Castleton gained their first lead of the contest on a layup by Comstock at the 12:26 mark. 

The Spartans maintained their advantage and pushed their lead as high as nine with 5:57 left. However, Thomas made a late run with a three by Salvador at the 1:34 mark, tying the contest 89-89. Green Jr. hit a free throw and Barletta countered with a layup with just 30 seconds left to give Castleton the 91-90 lead. Green Jr. responded 17 seconds later with the eventual game-winner. 

The Spartans are back in action on Saturday for a 1 pm matchup with the University of Maine at Farmington.