Box Score BANGOR, Maine – The Spartans had two chances to break a 65-65 draw in the final 20 seconds of regulation but couldn't convert and in the extra session Husson hit its first three shots on the way to an 85-75 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Tied 65-65 with 17 seconds left, Castleton was called for five seconds on the inbound, giving the Eagles the ball with a chance to win. Trevon Butler got off a shot on the baseline but some tough defense by Carnelius Green helped the shot fall woefully shot. The Spartans got the rebound and called a timeout with 0.7 seconds left. A last-second heave came up short to set up overtime.
Aaron Willis hit a three on Husson's first possession of overtime and the Eagles scored six of the next ten points for a 75-69 lead with 2:24 left. Pavin Parrish pulled the Spartans within two on a pair of free throws but they wouldn't get any closer as a 10-4 Husson run pushed the lead to 85-75 in the final minute.
Castleton shot an impressive 49.1 percent from the floor but went 4-for-15 from beyond the arc and was outrebounded 44-29 in the contest, including a 16-3 edge in offensive rebounds. Husson shot 41.9 percent overall but went 16-for-37 (43.2%) from downtown to stay in the game.
Chad Copeland led the Spartans with 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals while Carnelius Green added 12 points, three rebounds and three steals. Pavin Parrish chipped in 16 points and two steals while Rob Coloutti scored 13 points with four rebounds.
Raheem Anderson played 44 minutes and ran the offense with 24 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two turnovers. Trevon Butler also had 24 points with six rebounds and six assists. Mitch Worcester added nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from three with four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
Castleton jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the opening 4:10 and six minutes later Coloutti connected on a triple for a 25-18 advantage at 9:44. Green extended the Spartan lead to 29-21 with 7:22 left but a 9-4 run pulled the Eagles within three just three minutes later. Copeland made a jumper for the 35-30 lead, but a pair of three throws in the last 1:21 of the half made it 35-32 at the break.
Parrish extended the lead to 39-32 at 17:50 in the second half. However, Husson eventually countered with a 10-1 run to tie the game 46-46 on a three from Anderson. Castleton took back the lead and but couldn't get it any higher than four. Trailing 57-53 with five minutes left, the Eagles scored eight straight to take their first lead and go ahead 61-57 with just 3:11 left.
The Spartans then trailed 63-60 before Coloutti scored on a three-point play to tie the game 63-63. Copeland put Castleton back in front 65-63 with 1:04 left but a pair of free throws from Willis tied the game up with 57 seconds remaining. Both teams had a pair of chances in the last minute but couldn't convert, sending the game to overtime.
With the loss, the Spartans fall to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the North Atlantic Conference. Husson moves to 4-0 in the NAC and 6-1 overall. Castleton is off until Jan. 3 when the team hosts Keene St.
