CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University men's basketball team dropped a non-conference clash with Colby College on Saturday, falling 73-66 in the final game of the 2022 Spartan Classic at Glenbrook Gym.
 
The Spartans (1-2) shot 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the floor, keeping pace with Colby (2-0), which shot 44.4 percent from the field (28-of-63). The Mules hit from distance more frequently, collecting 12 threes to Castleton's five. Colby held a narrow edge in rebounds, 37-35, while both sides were close in turnovers with Castleton committing 11 to Colby's 10. Castleton outscored Colby 44-30 in the paint on the afternoon.
 
Tray Wright racked up a game-high 20 points on 9-of-22 shooting while pulling in seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Will Radcliff added 17 points and six rebounds, while Justin Schwarzbeck had 14 points and three blocks. Joe Russell rounded out Castleton's double-digit scorers with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
Colby was guided by a double-doubles from Jonah Obi and Noah Tyson, who scored 18 points each. Obi grabbed 11 boards and Tyson had 10 rebounds for the Mules. Max Poulton finished the day with 11 points and six rebounds. Lucas Green had four assists.
 
Colby raced out to a 10-2 lead behind seven points from Obi and a three by Tyson. After the two sides battled back-and-forth for the next handful of minutes, Castleton went on a 7-0 run to draw within two, 22-20. Colby hit three consecutive threes late in the half to push its lead to double digits, 39-26. A three by Tyson with just seconds remaining sent the game to halftime with Colby leading 42-28.
 
The Spartans netted a 10-0 run early in the second half, cutting the deficit back to just six points after Russell made two layups and Schwarzbeck buried a pair of threes. The 10-point stretch was part of a larger 20-7 run that drew Castleton to within one possession, 55-52, with 10 minutes to play in the game. Colby answered with a seven-point run just minutes later to push the edge back to 10, 64-54. The gap remained nearly the same until Wright buried a three with less than 10 seconds to play to give the game its final score of 73-66.
 
Castleton is back in action Wednesday night when it hosts Russell Sage College at 7 p.m.