CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team came out on top in a thriller at Glenbrook Gym Tuesday night, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat Middlebury by a final score of 55-54.
 
It was the first win for Castleton (4-2) against Middlebury (2-2) since January 2016, when Castleton won 59-52 on the road. Spartan fans hadn't seen Castleton beat the Panthers in Glenbrook Gym since Novermber of 2012, when the Spartans pulled out a two-point victory over Middlebury.
 
Castleton took a late lead one back-to-back buckets by Elise Magro, who finished the night with 23 points, and held off a late push by the Panthers at the final horn. Middlebury's Gianna Palli attempted a layup at the buzzer, but the ball fell off the rim after hanging on the edge for a moment.
 
The Spartans shot 35.4 percent as a team, making 23-of-65 from the floor. Castleton also shot 31.3 percent from three, hitting 5-of-16. Middlebury made 22-of-58 from the floor for a 37.9 percent night, and hit 38.9 percent of their threes, knocking down 7-of-18 from deep. Both teams struggled at the free-throw line, Castleton making 4-of-10 and Middlebury 3-of-9. The Panthers won the rebound battle 46-35, but only had a 10-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Middlebury committed 19 turnovers to Castleton's seven, and the Spartans turned those miscues into 16 points on the other end of the court.
 
Magro's 23 points led all scorers, while Ryleigh Coloutti added 14 points and Kelly Vuz 11. Coloutti also grabbed eight rebounds and Vuz added five assists with five rebounds. Gwyn Tatton scored three points and added six boards for the Spartans, while Olivia Perry grabbed six rebounds of her own.
 
Middlebury had just one player reach double digits scoring, as Reagan McDonald's 17 points led the Panthers. Emily Downer had eight points, Palli had seven and Alexa Mustafaj and Claire Miller had six each. Bethany Lucey led all players with 13 rebounds, while Augusta Dixon grabbed nine boards.
 
Castleton got off to a fast start in the game, running out to a 13-4 lead at the first quarter media timeout behind baskets from four different Spartans. Middlebury responded with a three from McDonald that sparked a 14-2 run to end the quarter, giving the Panthers an 18-15 lead after 10 minutes.
 
The Panthers continued to build their lead through the first four minutes of the second quarter, using a 10-1 run to extend the gap to 28-16. A later 10-0 run gave Middlebury its largest lead of the game at 21 points, 41-20. Magro narrowed the deficit before halftime, hitting a pair of late jumpers to make it a 41-24 game at halftime.
 
The Castleton defense buckled down out of the locker room, as Middlebury scored just four points in the third quarter, allowing Castleton to get back into contention. The Spartans outscored the Panthers 10-2 in the first four minutes of the frame to cut the gap to single digits, 43-34. A layup by Middlebury stopped the run, but Castleton closed the third with six straight points to make it a 45-40 game after 30 minutes.
 
Castleton tied the game just three minutes into the fourth quarter, scoring each of the first five points of the stanza to level the score at 45-45. A three-point play by Middlebury swung momentum, but Coloutti stole the energy right back with a three on the other end to knot the score back up, 48-48. The two sides traded baskets again to make it a 50-50 game, before a lay-in by Miller put the Panthers up 52-50 with 2:58 remaining. Tatton knocked down 1-of-2 at the line to make it 52-51, and Castleton got consecutive stops on defense followed by back-to-back baskets by Magro to go up 55-51 with 1:14 remaining. The second—and eventual game-winning basket—was set up on the defensive end by a crucial steal by Delaney Whitehead.
 
Middlebury pulled within one once again, as Downer took a pass from Dixon and laid it in. Magro missed a jumper late in the shot clock on the opposite end, giving the Panthers possession with 37 seconds remaining. A foul by Coloutti gave Middlebury a fresh shot clock and a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Palli's driving layup didn't fall and Castleton remained on top, 55-54, at the final horn.
 
Castleton is off until December 4 when it travels to Rhode Island College to open Little East Conference play. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.