Middlebury, Vt. – Junior Jade Desroches went coast-to-coast for a go-ahead layup with just seconds remaining as Castleton held off a tough Middlebury squad for a dramatic 53-51 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday evening. 

Tied at 51 apiece, Middlebury called a timeout with just 20 seconds left to set up a potential game-winning basket. Six seconds later Laura Lowry attempted a shot in the corner, but Desroches managed to block the shot and grab the rebound. She raced up the court for the layup and the 53-51 lead with only four seconds remaining. A last-second attempt by Lowry was off the mark as the Spartans came away with the two-point victory. 

Desroches finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks as Castleton improved to 4-1 on the year. The Spartans shot 37.3 percent from the field and held the Panthers to 36.7 percent from the floor, including 23.5 percent from downtown. Middlebury fell to 2-3 with the loss and dropped their second straight to Castleton by two points. 

Liz Douglass led the Spartan offense with 13 points and added six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Alyssa Leonard was also in double figures with 10 points and nine rebounds. Heather Murdough added a team-high 11 rebounds and two blocks. 

Rachel Crews came off the bench for Middlebury to supply 12 points while Elizabeth Knox finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Laura Lowry was the only Panther starter in double figures with ten points and four assists. 

The Spartans jumped out to an 9-4 lead in the first four minutes and Leonard extended the score to 11-4 on a layup at 15:44. The teams traded points until a Shelby LaBarge jumper and a pair Stephanie Bull free throws extended the lead to 19-10 with 11:17 left. A Lindsay Sabo three less than a minute later made it 22-12. Middlebury was unable to get closer than five, until a pair of jump shots in the final minute of the half closed it to three as Castleton went into the break with a 33-30 lead. 

Over the first six minutes of the second half, the Spartans went on an 8-0 run to push their lead to 41-30. However, the Panthers came back with an 11-2 run to draw within two on a layup by Knox at 9:17. Four straight points by Meghan O'Sullivan pushed the Castleton advantage back to six, 47-41. However, the Spartans were held scoreless for the next four minutes as Middlebury scored seven consecutive points to grab a 48-47 lead with five minutes left. 

O'Sullivan ended the scoring drought at 3:36 to give Castleton a 49-48 lead. No one scored again until Sarah Marcus made one of two free throws with 1:42 left to tie the score 49-49. Leonard broke the draw with a jump shot at 1:25, but Katie Pett tied it up again on a layup with just 1:03 remaining. Both teams had chances to score before Desroches' late-game heroics.