CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball shouldered a 65-54 loss on Wednesday at the hands of Keene State in Little East Conference action at Glenbrook Gym.
 
The Spartans fall to 1-5 on the season and 0-5 in LEC play, while Keene State improves to 2-3 overall and 2-3 in the LEC—both wins coming against the Spartans. Castleton shot just 29.3 percent (17-of-58) from the field, while Keene State shot a season-best 39.3 percent (22-of-56). The Owls also set a season-high with nine threes and 12 made free throws, while Castleton made only three three-pointers while going 17-of-21 at the line. Keene won the rebounding battle 48-34, including a 17-11 edge in offensive boards. The Owls turned the ball over 25 times, but Castleton managed just 21 points off those turnovers. Keene, however, notched 19 points off 17 Castleton miscues.
 
Elise Magro led the way for Castleton with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-22 shooting. Magro also grabbed four rebounds in the loss. Emilee Bose also reached double figures on offense with 14 points. Bose was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe on the night and hauled in five rebounds. Brooke Raiche was on the cusp of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while Taylor Goodell, Olivia Perry and Grace Turner had four points each.
 
Hailey Derosia was Keene's top scorer with 13 points on 4-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-8 at the line. Derosia also logged eight rebounds and two assists for the Owls. Michelle LaBonte and Jackie Alibrandi added 11 points apiece, while Lilly Shlimon reached double figures with 10 points. Rylee Burgess led all players with 11 rebounds off the bench.
 
Castleton jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead to open the game, but Keene responded with nine unanswered points to take a 9-5 lead with less than three minutes to play in the opening frame. Gwyn Tatton scored a second-chance layup to stop the bleeding, but Burgess laid in a buzzer beater on the opposite end to finish the first quarter with the Owls on top, 11-7.
 
Keene stretched its lead to seven points early when Alibrandi buried a three, but a pair of free throws by Perry got Castleton back on the board. The Spartans remained cold from the floor, however, as their first field goal of the quarter came at the mid-way mark when Magro knocked down a jumper to make it a 17-11 game in favor of the Owls. The two sides traded blows into the locker room, with Keene holding a 21-16 edge at the half.
 
Castleton drew first blood in the third quarter when Magro knocked down a jumper on the opening possession, but Keene answered with a three from Shlimon on the opposite end to make it 24-18 Owls. The lead stayed around the six-point level for a majority of the quarter, but Castleton made a run late in the third. After a Shlimon three made it 31-22 in favor of Keene, Castleton went on a 7-0 run to make it a two-point game, 31-29. That was as close as the Spartans could manage, as Alibrandi buried a three to stop Castleton's run and extend the lead back to five points. The five-point gap held through the end of the third quarter, as Keene led 40-35 into the fourth.
 
The Owls continued to control play in the fourth quarter, fighting off every Spartan attempt to make a comeback. Each time Castleton scored, the Owls answered to extend the lead. Castleton was unable to overcome that battle, and Keene held on to win 65-54 after outscoring the Spartans 25-19 in the final frame.
 
Castleton returns to action on Saturday at 2 p.m. when UMass Dartmouth travels north to Glenbrook Gym.