CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University women's basketball team made a valiant second-half comeback attempt on Saturday evening, but Saint Joseph's College of Maine held the Spartans off in the waning minutes to give VTSU Castleton its first loss of the season in the Spartan Classic championship game, 69-62.
The Spartans (1-1) trailed 38-23 at halftime and were down by as many as 18 early in the second half. Little by little the team chipped away by opening the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to drop the deficit down to seven points, 52-45. The two sides traded baskets before
Elise Magro buried a three to make it a four-point game, 54-50.
A three by Angelica Hurley—the eventual tournament MVP for St. Joe's (2-0)—helped cushion the visitors' lead once more. The two sides continued to trade scores the remainder of the fourth quarter until the final seconds, when Magro made back-to-back threes for the Spartans to draw Castleton within five, 67-62. It was too late to complete the comeback, however, as Hurley knocked down a pair of free throws on the other end to seal the win for the Monks.
Magro finished with a team-high 21 points and added six rebounds, four assists and four steals to land on the All-Tournament Team.
Luna Perry-St. Peter had a career game, notching the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 11 boards.
Kathryn Moore had eight points for Castleton in addition to six rebounds, and
Emily Adams added 10 rebounds to go with seven points.
Liz Bailey grabbed nine boards and had six points with three blocks on defense.
Hurley's stellar game for the Monks included 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists to land her top honors on the All-Tournament Team. She shot 9-of-18 from the floor and made 10-of-13 at the free-throw line. Elisabeth Stapelfeld had 10 points for the Monks in the win. Nina Howe claimed St. Joe's second All-Tournament Team selection, chipping in six points, seven rebounds and five assists in the contest. Grace Ramsdell had seven points and 11 rebounds.
Castleton was strong at the free-throw line in the contest, making 17-of-19 and was improved from three-point range on Saturday. The Spartans connected on five threes in the contest compared to only two on Friday night. The Spartans also dominated the rebounding battle 53-40 and led 16-6 in second-chance scoring, but a dozen turnovers for Castleton compared to St. Joe's four miscues were a detriment.
VTSU Castleton is back in action on Tuesday night at in-state rival Norwich at 7:30 p.m.
