BRONX, N.Y. – The Castleton University men's basketball team hit 13 three-pointers, by far the most in a single game this season, as the Spartans held off a rally by host Lehman College to defeat the Lightning, 61-56, Friday night in the final game of the CUNY Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Classic at APEX Gym.

The two teams traded baskets through the first seven minutes of the second half, with Ben Mrowka hitting a three-pointer to extend the Castleton lead to 10 at 43-33. Lehman College put together a 16-4 scoring run over the next six-and-a-half minutes, with Vince Young hitting a three-pointer to give the Lightning a 49-47 lead with 6:35 remaining in regulation.

Mrowka answered with another three-pointer of his own to put the Spartans back on top, and then Chad Copeland hit a three-pointer to give Castleton a four-point advantage. Lehman came right back, as Andrew Utate hit two free throws and Edwin Zorilla hit a layup to tie the game at 53-53 with just over four minutes to go in the second half.

Pavin Parrish gave Castleton the lead for good with a layup in traffic, and Mrowka made another three-pointer to increase the Spartan lead to five at 58-53. A Zorilla layup late in the second half brought the Lightning within two, but Copeland followed his own miss with a tip-in, and then blocked a Lehman shot attempt in the final minute to solidify the Spartan victory.

Copeland led the Spartans with 15 points and eight rebounds, while freshmen Mrowka and Casey Belade each used the three-point shot to earn season-high scoring totals. Mrowka hit four three-pointers as he scored 13 points, while Belade made three long distance shots for nine points. Julian Santos contributed six points, four rebounds, and five assists as he was named to the All-Tournament Team for his performance over the past two nights.

Copeland and Santos hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the game, but Lehman responded with five straight points to cut the Spartan lead to one. Castleton extended its lead to 16-5 thanks to a 10-0 run, led by seven points from Copeland, but five straight points by Luis Hernandez brought the Lightning to within six at 16-10.

Castleton went on an 8-0 scoring run, featuring consecutive three-pointers from Belade, and another three-pointer from Belade later in the first half extended the Spartan lead to 27-13. Lehman closed out the first half with an 11-4 scoring run over the final five minutes to go into the locker room down just 31-24 at halftime.

Lehman (5-6) was led by Hernandez with 18 points, six rebounds, and four steals, while Young and Jean Marcial contributed 10 points apiece. As a team, the Lightning shot 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from the field, including 2-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the free throw line.

The Spartans made 46.4 percent (13-of-28) of their three-point field goal attempts, but struggled in the other shooting areas, hitting just 37.5 percent (9-of-24) of their two-point field goal attempts and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) of their attempts from the free throw line. Castleton has won four games in a row for the second time this season and have already matched its win total from the entire 2015-16 season.

Castleton (9-2) enjoys a week away from competition before returning to North Atlantic Conference play next Saturday, Jan. 7, against Green Mountain starting at 1 p.m. at Glenbrook Gym.