GORHAM, Maine – The Castleton University women's basketball team jumped out to a commanding lead before surviving a fourth-quarter scare Saturday afternoon, defeating the University of Southern Maine 75-65 in Little East Conference action.

Castleton improves to 14-9 on the season and 9-5 in LEC play, while Southern Maine drops to 10-14 overall and 5-10 in league play. The Spartans shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) as a team, including a 44.4 percent (4-of-9) mark from three. The Huskies shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the field and 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from three. Both sides were nearly even at the free throw line, with Castleton making 79.3 percent (23-of-29) and Southern Maine hitting 79.2 percent (19-of-24). Castleton's 29 free throw attempts were its second-most this season in a single game. Castleton held a 36-30 edge in rebounds, but Southern Maine held a 21-15 edge in points off turnovers and a 24-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Alexis Quenneville racked up 19 points to lead Castleton in the win, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 at the line. She hit a pair of threes and added four rebounds. Brooke Raiche chipped in 17 points on 4-of-6 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line in addition to six rebounds and four assists. Elise Magro netted 16 points and a career-high eight steals for the Spartans. Katlyn Toomey hauled in 10 rebounds to lead the team with Kylie Wright adding eight points and eight boards off the bench.

Southern Maine's Victoria Harris led all players with 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Huskies, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and making 11-of-14 at the line. Abi Ramirez added 15 points and four rebounds for Southern Maine, while Jackie Luckhardt chipped in nine points and Samantha Averill seven.

Both offenses struggled in the opening minutes, as the game was all tied at 4-4 through the first five minutes of action. The Huskies took their first and only lead of the game when Mary Toman made a jumper to give USM a 6-4 lead, but Wright knotted the game up on the ensuing possession with an elbow jumper on a pass from Raiche. Castleton went ahead on its next possession when Quenneville hit a long two, but the Huskies leveled the game at 8-8 with just under three minutes to play in the quarter. The two sides traded baskets once more but the Spartans ended the frame on a 5-0 run when Magro hit a pull-up jumper and Julia Lee nailed a three.

Castleton pushed its lead to eight points just more than two minutes into the second quarter on a fast-break layup by Raiche, forcing a Southern Maine timeout with the score in favor of Castleton, 20-12. The two sides went back-and-forth for two minutes following the timeout before Castleton went on a 6-0 run to push its lead to 12, 28-16. The lead reached as many as 14 before halftime, when Quenneville buried a three to give Castleton a 31-17 edge with 3:14 to play. The Spartans held Southern Maine at bay the rest of the half, carrying a 36-24 lead into the locker rooms.

The Spartans scored the first five points of the second half, as Quenneville hit a three and a jumper to give Castleton a 17-point lead, 41-24. The lead reached a game-high 18 points with 6:57 left in the third when Toomey converted a three-point play to make it 44-26 Spartans. Castleton maintained the commanding lead throughout the majority of the quarter, as a three-point play by Olivia Perry gave Castleton a 49-32 lead with 4:22 to play in the frame. Southern Maine whittled the lead back to just 10 points over the ensuing four minutes, however, as Castleton took a 53-43 lead into the final period.

The Huskies came out of the huddle with a vengeance, scoring the first six points of the fourth quarter and forcing a Castleton timeout. The timeout allowed the Spartans to regroup, as Magro hit a jumper to stop the Huskies' run and return the Castleton lead to six points, 55-49. Southern Maine never got closer than five points from that point forward, as the Spartans slowed the game down and stopped the Southern Maine momentum. Late free throws by Quenneville, Magro and Raiche sealed the victory for Castleton, 75-65, despite a half-court, buzzer-beating three by the Huskies.

Castleton returns to action Wednesday night at Plymouth State. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.