NEW LONDON, N.H. – Castleton led by 15 points midway through the second half but Colby-Sawyer wouldn't go down quietly as the Spartans earned a hard-fought 48-43 road victory on Wednesday evening. 

In a match-up featuring two of the stingiest defenses in the country, the game played out exactly that way. Castleton and Colby-Sawyer entered the contest ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the nation in field goal percentage defense. The Chargers shot just 24.2 percent from the floor, while Castleton shot 32.1 percent. 

Colby-Sawyer, ranked 13th in the nation in scoring defense (49.9ppg) held an opponent under 50 points for the 12th time this season. Castleton is ranked 17th (50.3) and recorded its 13th game with an opponent scoring less than 50. The Spartans did earn a 50-42 edge on the boards in the game but turned the ball over 23 times. 

Meghan O'Sullivan shot just 5-for-16 from the floor but scored a team-high 11 points with four rebounds and two assists while Jade Desroches was also in double figures with ten points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Amanda Beatty was impressive off the bench with eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks while Bryanna DuPont pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. 

Kelsey Cahill was the lone Charger in double figures, scoring 17 points with four rebounds, four steals and five blocks. Kristin Ellis added seven points, 20 rebounds and four steals while Katie McCarthy chipped in with eight points, five assists and two steals. 

Colby-Sawyer jumped out to 6-0 lead in the opening two minutes but Castleton responded with a 9-2 run to grab a 9-8 advantage at 13:27 off a three from Desroches. Beatty and Ali Jones extended it to 13-8 before Ellis scored for the Chargers at 9:58 to break the drought. A Cahill layup with 8:18 left pulled Colby-Sawyer within one, 14-13, but nine straight by the Spartans made it a ten-point game, with 4:45 remaining. The teams traded baskets over the last four minutes as Castleton went into the break up 28-17. 

DuPont and O'Sullivan pushed the Spartan lead to 15, 32-17, just 28 seconds into the second half. Colby-Sawyer closed within 11 but Beatty extended it back to 15 points, 39-24, with 9:58 left on a layup. Neither team could find much offense until a 7-0 personal run by McCarthy cut the deficit to nine, 43-34 with just 2:38 remaining. 

Lindsay Sabo countered with a triple on the ensuing possession but a 7-0 run, capped off by a Cahill layup, made it just 46-41 with 37 seconds remaining. Following missed shots by both teams, Colby-Sawyer was forced to foul and Makayla Farrara made both free throws for the 48-41 lead with 11 seconds left. Cahill added a layup in the last ten seconds for the final score. 

The Spartans return to action this weekend when they host Thomas on Friday at 7:30 pm.