New London, N.H. – The Spartans gave up just 23 first-half points and withstood a second-half rally by Colby-Sawyer to finish with a 70-53 victory over the Chargers on Tuesday evening in North Atlantic Conference action. 

Castleton shot 36.1 percent from the floor but went 6-for-12 from beyond the arc to improve to 9-1 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. Colby-Sawyer shot 38.5 percent from downtown, but connected on just 31.6 percent of its shots overall, dropping to 4-6 and 3-1 in the NAC. 

In addition to the shooting edge, the Spartans outrebounded the Chargers 48-36, leading to a 20-4 edge in second-chance points. Castleton also swiped 13 steals and forced 21 turnovers. 

Alyssa Leonard was all over the court with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Heather Murdough added 12 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Shelby LaBarge recorded a career-high seven steals off the bench and added nine points and eight rebounds. 

Ashley Fruzzetti paced the Chargers with 14 points, including four triples. Jessica Shenkel went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc for all of her 12 points, while Kelsey Cahill added nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. 

Colby-Sawyer held a one point lead midway through the first half at 13-12 after a pair of Katie McCarthy free throws. However, Spartans scored the next 11 points in a four-minute span to take a 23-13 advantage. A McCarthy three cut the Colby-Sawyer deficit to five points, but the visitors ended the frame on a 12-3 run capped by a Stephanie Bull jumper on the last possession for the 37-23 lead. 

The Spartans maintained their double-digit lead over the first three minutes of the second frame, before back-to-back three pointers by Shenkel pulled the Chargers within eight. The teams traded baskets until Murdough scored five points and Ali Jones added a trey to give Castleton its biggest lead of the game at 53-36 with 11:37 left.  

Fruzzetti then sparked the Colby-Sawyer offense with five points in a 9-0 run to pull within eight points at 9:24, but that was be as close as the Chargers got. Castleton held Colby-Sawyer to one field goal in the final four and a half minutes and made six free throws in that stretch to take the 70-53 victory. 

The Spartans return to action on Thursday when they face Lyndon St. at 7:30 pm.