CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University men's basketball team held tough against Rhode Island College until the final horn, but came up short 77-69 in Little East Conference action inside Glenbrook Gym on Saturday evening.
 
The Spartans (5-11, 0-7 LEC) were down by as many as 12 points in the first half, but erased the deficit completely in the second half to take their first lead of since the opening minute, 50-49, on a Justin Schwarzbeck layup with 11:28 to play in the game. The lead was short-lived, as RIC responded on the other end, but Castleton tied the game two minutes later at 53-53 after a three-point play by Mu Moore. RIC pulled away from that point on, however, keeping Castleton at arms' length en route to the 77-69 final.
 
The Spartans shot 47.5 percent from the field as a team, knocking down 28-of-59, including 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from three. Castleton was also 7-of-9 at the free-throw line. RIC shot 41.5 percent from the field, hitting 27-of-65, and knocked down 13-of-34 from three, showcasing impressive range with a plethora of long three-pointers. The Anchormen hit 10-of-12 free throws. Rebounds were even at 36 apiece, while Castleton committed 19 turnovers to RIC's 12. The Anchormen scored 23 points off Castleton's miscues while Castleton turned the RIC turnovers into 16 points.
 
Oluwadare Sowunmi had a career night, racking up 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also had five rebounds and four assists. Schwarzbeck and Joe Alamprese had 12 points each, while Darrell Hardge and John Walsh contributed eight points each. Schwarzbeck led the team with eight rebounds, while Alamprese and Alex Blackmore had five each.
 
Keyshaun Jacobs led all players with 36 points, knocking down six threes and shooting 52.6 percent from the floor in the game. He also had five assists two steals. Damian Tucker added 13 points and Jordan Riley had 12. Riley added seven rebounds, four assists and five steals to his line. Ousmane Kourouma finished with 14 rebounds to lead all players.
 
The two sides were tight from the jump, with RIC holding a 9-8 lead with nearly four minutes elapsed from the clock. The two sides alternated baskets over the next four minutes, with the RIC lead still at just one point after Schwarzbeck hit a jumper for the Spartans. Seven unanswered points by the Anchormen pushed the lead to eight, but a three by Walsh and a put-back by Schwarzbeck narrowed the gap back to three points, 21-18. A three-minute stretch in which the Anchormen outscored Castleton 11-2 pushed the lead to double digits at 32-20. It was the largest lead for RIC in the game, as Castleton closed the half on a 14-6 stretch to pull back within four, 38-34.
 
Both sides struggled out of the locker room, with RIC extending its lead to just 44-36 in the first three-plus minutes of the stanza. Castleton went on a 10-3 run from there, however, using a three-minute stretch of their own to get back within one point, 47-46. After Tucker snapped Castleton's stretch with a jumper, Hardge and Schwarzbeck knocked down back-to-back shots for Castleton to put the home side ahead 50-49 with 11:28 to play. RIC responded quickly with two layups for a three-point lead, but Moore's three-point play knotted the score at 53-53. Five straight points by the Anchormen gave the visitors the lead for good, as Castleton never got closer than three points for the remainder of the game.
 
The Spartans are back in action Monday night at 7 p.m. on the road at UMass Boston.