CASTLETON, Vt. – Edmund Fitzgerald gave Castleton a 60-58 lead with 53 seconds left and the Spartans went 7-for-9 from the free throw line the rest of the way to hold on for a 67-63 victory over Maine Maritime on Friday night in Glenbrook Gym. 

With the shot clock winding down and the scored tied 58-58, Rob Coloutti tried to break the draw with a triple. It was off the mark but Fitzgerald flew in for the rebound and put-back, all while drawing a foul with 53 seconds left. He made the free throw for a 61-58 advantage and the Spartans forced a missed three-pointer on the ensuing possession.

MMA was forced to foul Pavin Parrish with 36 seconds left and he made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. The Mariners then scored to pull within two, 62-60, but Fitzgerald was fouled with just 23 seconds remaining and calmly converted both shots. Parrish made three more free throws in the final 15 seconds to secure the victory. 

Castleton finished the game shooting 48 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from downtown to improve to 9-13 and 8-7 in conference play. Maine Maritime shot 39.3 percent overall and hit on 30.4 percent of its three-point attempts to fall to 4-18 and 3-12 in the NAC. The Spartans also outrebounded them 37-33. 

Parrish finished the contest with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while Tondi Mushandu was impressive with 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Fitzgerald chipped in ten points, four rebounds and two blocks while Kyle Adams added 11 points without missing a shot. 

Brendan Newcomb paced the Mariner offense with 22 points and five rebounds. Tyler Thayer was limited to eight points and four assists on 2-for-11 shooting while Zachary Radcliff chipped in ten points, four assists and three steals. 

The Spartans actually jumped out a 12-2 lead in the opening five minutes, punctuated by back-to-back layups from Rob Pinnock and Mushandu. Castleton eventually stretched its lead to 22-10 on a triple from Adams in the corner at 11:02. MMA responded with a 10-2 run to pull within four, 24-20, just two minutes later. 

Both teams shot well and traded baskets over the next five minutes, until a 5-2 MMA run tied the game 30-30 at 4:30. Tyler Arsenault gave Castleton back the lead and Fitzgerald provided the last scoring of the period with a three throw with 3:36 left. The shot gave the Spartans a slight 33-30 edge going into the break. 

It was back-and-forth throughout the first five minutes of the second, though a 6-0 spurt by the Mariners pushed them in front 46-41. They led by six, 49-43, with 11:23 left, before seven straight by Castleton put gave the Spartans back the lead, 50-49 at 7:58.

The teams traded leads over the next three minutes, before MMA scored three straight to a 58-56 lead with just over minutes remaining. Fitzgerald then tied the game at 58 apiece on a layup, setting up the final minute and his late game shot-making.

The Spartans now eturn to action on Saturday at 3 pm when they host Husson.