CASTLETON, Vt. – Castleton forced overtime with a big shot but Lyndon came back to send the game to second overtime and didn't trail in the final five minutes on the way to an 86-83 victory over the Spartans in Glenbrook Gym on Thursday evening. 

Trailing by 83-80 with under a minute to go in double overtime, Rob Coloutti had a three-point shot go in and out, but Casey McGraw was there for the tip-in with 30 seconds left. Castleton was forced to foul and Eric Vargas made both his free throws. However, Coloutti was then fouled on the ensuing possession and made 1 of 2 free throws for an 85-83 deficit with only 11 seconds remaining. The Spartans fouled Vargas again and he made 1 of 2 for a three-point lead. Castleton raced the ball up the court but couldn't get a clean look in the last ten seconds as the Hornets escaped with the win.

Lyndon finished the game a blistering 16-for-32 from downtown and also was an impressive 20 of 22 from the free throw line, while shooting 41.7 percent overall, to improve to 10-13 and 8-9 in the North Atlantic Conference. The Hornets also owned a 41-38 rebounding edge. The Spartans shot 41.8 percent overall but went 12 of 34 from downtown and just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in overtime.

Sophomore Tondi Mushandu scored the basket to send the game into overtime, and finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Coloutti added 18 points and seven rebounds while McGraw added 15 points and six boards. Edmund Fitzgerald, meanwhile, chipped in seven points, five rebounds, three assists and five blocks off the bench before fouling out.

Three Lyndon players scored in double figures, led by Shaun Hill with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kevin Love added 15 points and eight boards while Ty Roane came off the bench to knock down four triples for 12 points and eight rebounds.

Lyndon jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the opening minutes, before a layup by McGraw and triple by Coloutti tied it at eight apiece. The Hornets responded with a 9-3 run for the 17-11 advantage and then led 27-18 on a triple by Raymond Monroe with 9:30 left. Pavin Parrish brought the Spartans back within seven a minute later, but Lyndon pushed its lead back to nine, 31-22 with 5:51 left. Three consecutive buckets by McGraw trimmed the lead to just three and Lake Roberson eventually tied the game 33-33 with 1:00 minute left on a shot from downtown. The teams traded points before Hill knocked in a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 38-34 Lyndon advantage at the break.

Castleton opened the second half on a 5-0 spurt to take a 39-38 lead, but it was short-lived as Lyndon scored the next ten points. Roberson ended the run with his second triple, and a three from Josh Horton had the Spartans down 51-45 at 11:55. Roberson and Coloutti pulled them within three minutes later, but the Hornets kept answering.

Trailing 66-59 with 4:49 left, Castleton went on a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 66-65 with 1:43 left. Roane countered with a three, but McGraw grabbed a big offensive rebound and was fouled. He connected on both free throws with 37 seconds left to make it 69-67. Fitzgerald then blocked a Love attempt and Mushandu scored a layup with eight seconds left to force overtime.

Mushandu led off overtime with three straight points for a 72-69 lead, before four consecutive free throws by Lyndon gave them a 73-72 advantage. Parrish took back the lead with a long triple and a 4-2 run had Castleton leading 78-75 with just 38 seconds left. However, Roane connected on a three from the corner 14 seconds later to tie it. A triple by Coloutti was off the mark at the buzzer to send the game to a second overtime, 78-78.

Roane gave the Hornets a lead they wouldn't give up with a three at 2:27, and Castleton trailed 83-80 with 1:45 to set up the final minute of action.

Roberson chipped in a career-high nine points off the bench while Parrish finished with ten points, six assists and a steal.

Castleton returns to action on Saturday when they travel to face Johnson St. at 3 pm. A victory would assure them of a top-four seed in the NAC Tournament.