CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team was stymied by a tough Eastern Connecticut State team on Saturday afternoon, falling by a final score of 62-34 in Little East Conference action at Glenbrook Gym.
 
The Spartans drop to 10-8 on the season overall and 3-6 in LEC play, while Eastern Connecticut improves to 13-8 overall and 10-2 in league competition. Castleton struggled from the floor, shooting just 21.7 percent on the afternoon (13-of-60) as the Warriors' length created issues. Eastern hit 35.5 percent of its shots, making 22-of-62 on the day—including 7-of-14 from three. Castleton made just two threes. The Warriors won the rebounding battle 57-35 which led to a 25-9 edge in second-chance points.
 
Kelly Vuz led the Spartans on offense with 14 points in addition to six rebounds. Ryleigh Coloutti added eight points, four rebounds and two blocks while Liz Bailey scored six points and snagged a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
Danielle O'Brien scored a game-high 15 points and added three assists and seven steals for the Warriors. Jenna Serrantino had 13 points, while Julie Keckler added 11 points and three assists. Anna Barry had a game-high 15 rebounds for the Warriors, while Aiyana Ward added 10 boards and four assists.
 
Eastern got off to a fast start, leading 6-0 after two minutes of play. Gwyn Tatton got Castleton on the board with a free throw, but Keckler knocked down a jumper to make it 8-1 Warriors. Vuz and Olivia Perry then scored back-to-back buckets to make it an 8-5 game, before the two sides went back-and-forth for five minutes to a 16-13 score in favor of Eastern. O'Brien hit a late three for the Warriors to send the visitors to the second quarter leading 19-13.
 
Castleton scored the first four points of the second quarter, as Coloutti knocked down a jumper and Vuz finished a layup. The Warriors answered with four straight points of their own, before Vuz and Coloutti hit consecutive threes for Castleton to tie the game at 23-23. The score stayed tied at 25-25 after the two teams traded blows, but two late threes by Eastern pushed the lead back to six points, 31-25, at the half.
 
A three by O'Brien out of the locker room made it a nine-point Eastern Connecticut lead, but a three-point play by Vuz brought it back to just a six-point Spartan deficit. The Warriors pushed their lead to double digits for the first time in the game with an eight-point run capped by another O'Brien three. The Spartans were unable to get within 10 points of Eastern again in the contest, the Warriors kept their foot on the gas to end the third quarter with a 52-34 lead.
 
The Warriors made just three field goals in the final 10 minutes, but the stifling defense by the visitors kept Castleton at bay to give the game its 62-34 final score.
 
Castleton returns to action Monday night at 5:30 p.m. in Glenbrook Gym against Plymouth State.