BARRE, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team picked up another win to open the season Friday evening, defeating Northern Vermont University-Lyndon 66-50 in non-conference action at the Granite City Shootout at the Barre Auditorium.

Castleton has opened the season 4-0 for the fifth consecutive season, while Lyndon now sits at 1-3 following the contest. The Spartans shot a season-best 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and was 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from three. Castleton knocked down 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from the line, but Lyndon was even better from the stripe, making 18-of-22. The Hornets shot just 30.4 percent (14-of-46) from the field. Castleton controlled the glass, 36-27, and had a 17-2 advantage in bench scoring.

Four Spartans reached double digits in scoring, led by Alexis Quenneville's 15. The senior was 4-of-11 on the day—all from three-point range—while making 3-of-4 at the line. She added three assists and two rebounds. Kylie Wright had 14 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, while Emilee Bose added 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field. Brooke Raiche rounded out the double-digit scorers, racking up 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with a 4-for-5 mark at the line. She dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds. Katlyn Toomey hauled in seven rebounds to lead the team, and Elise Magro scored nine points despite spending a majority of the game in foul trouble.

Lyndon was led primarily by Alissa Mitchell, who netted a game-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Mitchell knocked down 3-of-4 from long range and 5-of-6 at the line while registering five steals and four rebounds. Alisha Celley also added 10 points with four rebounds, and Lea Crompton had nine points for the Hornets.

Castleton controlled the first half, going on a 10-2 run in the opening quarter after Lyndon scored the day's first basket. The Spartans closed the opening quarter on a 5-2 run to take a 15-9 lead into the second quarter. Castleton's edge first hit double digits at the midway point of the second quarter, 23-13, when Raiche knocked down a jumper to cap a 6-0 Spartan run. Castleton led by 17—33-16—with less than a minute to play, but carried a 33-20 lead into halftime after four made free throws by the Hornets.

Lyndon cut into the Castleton advantage in the third quarter, as the two sides each posted 20-plus points in the frame. Lyndon had an early 6-0 run thanks to a pair of three points plays the old-fashioned way, but the two sides traded buckets throughout the quarter. Castleton was ahead 53-40 late in the quarter after a layup by Bose, but the Hornets' Mitchell splashed a three in the waning seconds to make it 53-43 after three.

The final frame was a defensive struggle, with Lyndon scoring the first four points of the half in the opening two minutes. Castleton responded with five unanswered points over the next minute before both teams went scoreless for more than four minutes. Castleton stopped the drought on a free throw by Quenneville, before the senior knocked down two more less than a minute later to make it 61-48. The Spartans cruised from there, capping the game with a pair of free throws by Magro to make it 66-50.

Castleton wraps up the Granite City Shootout Saturday at 4 p.m. against NVU-Johnson at the Barre Auditorium.