DANBURY, Conn. – The Castleton University women's basketball team fell at the hands of Western Connecticut State University Saturday afternoon, dropping a Little East Conference contest 76-46 at Feldman Arena.

Castleton falls to 12-9 overall and 7-5 in LEC play with the loss, while WestConn improves to 8-13 and 3-9 in the league. The Colonials' 76 points were the most allowed by Castleton all season, with 35 of those points coming off Spartan turnovers. The WestConn full-court pressure led to 28 Castleton turnovers, while the Colonials committed 18 miscues of their own. Castleton shot 40.0 percent from the field (18-of-45), while making just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from three-point range. The Colonials made 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor and 10-of-27 from three (37.0 percent) while knocking down 14-of-17 at the free-throw line. Castleton made just seven of its 16 free throws. The Colonials also controlled the glass, outrebounding Castleton 40-27.

Emilee Bose and Alexis Quenneville tied for a team-high with eight points each. Bose made 4-of-5 from the field in 10 minutes, while Quenneville knocked down 2-of-6 from three. Brooke Raiche and Elise Magro had seven points each, with Raiche pulling down six rebounds and Magro registering four steals. Katlyn Toomey also pulled down six rebounds in addition to four assists.

WestConn was led by 16 points from Gabrielle Hurlbert and 12 points from Julia Misner. Hurlbert made 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 at the line in addition to four assists and four steals. Susana Almeida and Katelyn Fanning had eight points each, while Lola Herman, Ashley Riley and Sydney Gouveia had seven apiece off the bench. Fanning also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The two sides battled back-and-forth throughout the first five minutes of play, as Magro knocked down a layup with 4:36 to play in the first quarter to level the score at 10-10. The Colonials then followed with a 6-0 run, taking a lead it would not relinquish. After an Olivia Perry layup, WestConn added five more points to stretch its lead to 21-12. Kylie Wright hit a late layup to send the game to the second quarter with Castleton trailing 21-14.

WestConn quickly pushed its lead to double digits in the second quarter, going on a 12-2 run to open the second frame and extending the lead to 33-16. Castleton responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 33-22, but WestConn rattled off 12 unanswered points to take a commanding, 45-22 advantage. The lead at the half was 47-27 after Quenneville buried a three with 13 seconds to play in the half.

The lead hit 30 points for the first time in the third quarter after a jumper by Riley, before hitting a game-high 33 points later the in the frame, 65-32, when Hurlbert dropped in a layup. Castleton answered with a 5-0 run on a three from Quenneville and a pair of Raiche free throws. Magro capped the third quarter with a jumper, but Castleton heading to the final stanza trailing, 69-41. Both offenses struggled throughout the final frame, with WestConn outscoring Castleton 7-5, giving the game its 76-46 final.

The Spartans return to action Wednesday night against UMass Boston. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Glenbrook Gym.