CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team got back in the win column Sunday afternoon, defeating former North Atlantic Conference foe Thomas College by a final score of 51-42 at Glenbrook Gym to wrap up the Spartan Classic.
Castleton moves back to .500 on the season at 2-2, while Thomas sits at 0-2 after its opening weekend. Both teams struggled offensively in the contest, with Castleton shooting just 17-of-70 (24.3 percent) from the floor and 5-of-28 (17.9 percent) from three. Thomas was 16-of-61 (26.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-20 (20.0 percent) from three. Castleton made 12 free throws and Thomas had six. The Spartans outrebounded the Terriers 54-48, including a 15-7 edge on the glass that led to a 15-4 advantage for Castleton in second-chance points. Castleton also turned 18 Thomas turnovers into 14 points, while Thomas converted 11 Spartan miscues into just three points.
Kelly Vuz led the Spartans in scoring with 16 points on the night, while
Ryleigh Coloutti added 12 points and 10 boards for a double-double.
Olivia Perry was on the verge of a double-double of her own, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds in the win for Castleton.
Paige O'Brien added six points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
The Terriers received a game-high 18 points from Kaylee Ravagli, while Chantel Oulette scored 14 points for Thomas. Lindsay Given and Anna Piirainen grabbed 10 rebounds each for the Terriers in the contest.
The game was a back-and-forth battle through three quarters, with Castleton outscoring Thomas by just one point in each of the first three frames to carry a 32-29 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Thomas cut the Spartan lead down to one point with a pair of early free throws in the final quarter, but a 10-0 run by Castleton gave the Spartans their largest lead of the game—11 points—at 42-31. The run began with a three by O'Brien, before Vuz and Coloutti scored back-to-back layups to push the lead up to eight points. A three-point play by Vuz closed the run as she was fouled on a layup and made the free throw. Thomas quickly responded with a seven-point run of its own, as the Terriers dropped in a pair of layups before Ravagli knocked down a three to make it a four-point game.
Coloutti answered with a three of her own for Castleton to keep the Terriers at arm's length, giving Castleton enough cushion to close out the game, 51-42 as the Terriers needed to foul late. Vuz knocked down a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to give the game its final score.
Castleton returns to the hardwood at the historic Barre Auditorium Friday night at 7 p.m. as the Spartans take on NVU-Lyndon in the Granite City Shootout.
