CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team picked up a dominant victory on Monday evening, defeating in-state foe Northern Vermont University-Johnson by a final score of 83-37 in the Spartans' first game inside Glenbrook Gym this season.

The Spartans (1-2) scored 20 points or more in three of the four quarters while also holding Johnson (0-1) to seven points or less in each of those three frames. Castleton's 83 points were its most in a single game since the 2017-18 season-opener in which the Spartans defeated Elms 86-44.

Castleton led the game wire-to-wire, scoring eight seconds into the contest on a three by Taylor Goodell and never relinquishing its advantage. The Spartans finished the game shooting 35.2 percent from the field (32-of-91) and 38.1 percent from three (8-of-21). NVU posted a 35.6 percent rate from the field (16-of-45) and a 13.3 percent rate from long range (2-of-15). Castleton was 11-of-15 from the free-throw line (73.3 percent) while Johnson was 3-of-5 at the stripe (60.0 percent). Castleton won the rebounding battle 49-43, and turned it over just 10 times to NVU's 39. The Spartans converted those 39 turnovers into 35 points. Castleton also held a 21-4 edge in second-chance scoring and 34-16 advantage on points in the paint.

Gwyn Tatton scored a career-high 14 points on the evening, tying Brooke Raiche for a game-high total. The sophomore shot 5-of-12 from the floor and hit 4-of-4 at the free-throw line to set a new career-best mark. Raiche added five rebounds and two steals to her 14-point outing.  Elise Magro joined Tatton and Raiche in double figures with 12 points in addition to six assists, six steals and four rebounds. Emilee Bose and Lauren Pratt had nine points each, while Grace Turner added seven points and eight rebounds. Goodell knocked down a pair of threes to finish the night with six points.

The Badgers were led by 12 points from Ellery Kiefer, who also added eight rebounds on the night. Madelyn House and Melissa Clark each scored six points, while Gabriella Wardwell and Aysha Hodgdon had four points each. Wardwell led all players with 10 rebounds.

Castleton won the opening tip and turned it into points immediately as Bose found Goodell on the right wing for a three. Raiche added to the lead on the ensuing possession to make it 5-0 before Magro cashed in a layup for a 7-0 lead. NVU stopped the run with a layup by Wardwell before the two sides traded scores to make it 9-4 Castleton. Johnson made just one more field goal the rest of the opening quarter, however, as Castleton closed the first 10 minutes on a 12-2 run.

The Spartans continued to impose their will in the second quarter, outscoring Johnson 25-7 in the 10-minute span. After NVU notched the first points of the quarter on a three by Clark, Castleton went on a 10-0 run that featured points from four different players. The Badgers interrupted the run with a bucket from House, but Castleton resumed it's steady offensive play and strung together 15 unanswered points over a five-minute stretch. NVU registered the last points of the opening half, as Kiefer put home a layup to make it a 46-13 game at the break.

Castleton pounced on the Badgers again out of the locker room, scoring the first six points of the second half—two layups by Bose and one by Magro—before Kiefer hit a pair of free throws to get the Badgers back in the scoring column. Raiche then notched five straight points on a three and a jumper, but Kiefer again found the bottom of the basket with a jumper of her own to stop Castleton's brief run. The Spartans scored the final nine points of the quarter over a four-minute stretch, carrying a 66-17 edge into the final frame.

The lead reached its largest margin of the day just 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, when a three from Pratt pushed the Castleton edge to 50 points—69-19. After that three, Johnson went on a 9-3 run before Castleton slowed the Badgers' pace with four consecutive free throws—two each from Tatton and Delaney Whitehead. The two sides traded scores on the way out, with Pratt capping the Castleton win with a put-back layup with just eight seconds remaining to give the game its final score of 83-37.

Castleton returns to action Wednesday at Keene State at 6 p.m.