CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's basketball team dropped a Little East Conference battle with UMass Dartmouth on Saturday, coming up short by a 73-71 margin at Glenbrook Gym.
Liz Bailey had a stellar game offensively, racking up 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while making 5-of-6 at the free-throw line.
Elise Magro played a well-rounded game with 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds while
Kelly Vuz added 15 points and three boards.
Gwyn Tatton had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds while
Delaney Whitehead contributed six points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Spartans sit at 10-5 on the season and 3-3 in LEC play after the game, while UMass Dartmouth improves to 10-6 overall and 6-1 in LEC action. Castleton shot 37.3 percent from the field in the game, hitting 22-of-59 with seven threes. UMass Dartmouth hit at a 40.6 percent rate, knocking down 26-of-64 with seven threes of their own. Both sides shot an abundance of free throws, with Castleton hitting 20-of-26 and UMass Dartmouth making 14-of-23. The Corsairs won the rebound battle 41-38 and made Castleton pay for its mistakes with a 16-10 edge in points off turnovers.
Kaylin Zalewski led UMass Dartmouth's offense with 15 points, while Teja Andrews and Jessica Carroll had 14 points each. Jordan Moretti added 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with Castleton leading by six early before UMass Dartmouth scored six unanswered to tie the game at 10-10. The Corsairs then took a 15-14 lead before a free throw by Tatton tied the score. Both teams hit threes in the final 30 seconds of the quarter to end the first 10 minutes tied 18-18.
Castleton controlled the latter portion of the second quarter, turning a three-point deficit into a five-point lead after an 8-0 run that featured a pair of layups and four good free throws. A late three by
Emily Adams gave Castleton a 39-30 lead with less than a minute until halftime, but UMass Dartmouth answered with a layup before the break to make it 39-32 Spartans at the midway point.
The lead reached double digits early in the third quarter when Magro hit a three, and back-to-back layups by Vuz and Bailey made it 47-36 Castleton. An 11-2 run by UMass Dartmouth closed the gap back to just two points, however, a margin that held at the end of the third quarter.
The two sides traded blows once again in the final frame, with UMass Dartmouth tying the score at 52-52 after consecutive baskets. Vuz hit a three to regain Castleton's lead, but Moretti kept it close with a layup on the other end. After three unanswered free throws gave Castleton a 58-54 lead with six minutes to play, Moretti made 1-of-2 at the line and Andrews and Carroll hit layups to five the Corsairs a 59-58 lead. Vuz knocked down another jumper to give Castleton the one-point lead, 60-59, but an 8-0 run propelled the Corsairs to a 67-60 lead with three minutes remaining.
Magro made it a two-possession game with a jumper, but a pair of free throws by Carroll kept the gap at seven, 69-62. A Bailey bucket was offset by two free throws from Zalewski. Magro hit two free throws of her own to make it 71-66, with Moretti hitting just 1-of-2 on the other end to make it a six-point game. Magro stepped into a three and knocked it down to pull Castleton within three at 72-69, and Caroline Wilson made just 1-of-2 on the opposite end for a four-point gap. With three seconds to play, Vuz was fouled shooting a three and hit 2-of-3 at the line to pull Castleton within two, 73-71. A quick foul sent UMass Dartmouth to the line, where Melanie Demeo missed both free throws. Castleton pulled down the rebound, but a long-range attempt fell well short at the horn to end the contest with the Corsairs on top.
Castleton returns to action Wednesday night at Keene State at 5:30 p.m.
