NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton Spartans pulled off an impressive come-from-behind win on Tuesday night, stunning the crowd at Andrews Hall by erasing an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit on its way to a 66-61 victory over in-state rival Norwich.
 
Elise Magro, who was named to the New England Women's Basketball Association's weekly honor roll prior to the game, led the Spartans (2-1) with a career-high 32 points in 31 minutes of play. Magro was limited in the first half due to foul trouble, but turned it up in the second half with 25 points after the break, including 13 fourth-quarter points. She finished the night shooting 11-of-23 from the floor and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line.
 
After giving up a pair of baskets to the Cadets (0-2) to start the fourth quarter and finding itself in a 52-44 hole, VTSU Castleton worked back to tie the score at 59-59 after a clutch three from Stasia Epler. Norwich hit a pair of free throws over the next minute to regain a 61-59 lead.
 
With under a minute left in regulation, Magro pulled up from the baseline, but the shot caromed into the arms of Norwich. Magro stepped in, stole the ball, and laid it in while being fouled for an old-fashioned three-point play and a 62-61 Spartan lead—their first lead since the opening quarter. Norwich called a timeout to advance the ball, but failed to get a shot off on the next possession as Kathryn Moore poked the ball loose for a Spartan steal.
 
A Norwich foul sent Magro to the free throw line for a pair, with the fifth-year senior hitting both and giving the Spartans a 64-61 lead. Norwich had a good look from three-point range on the ensuing possession but the shot clanged off the rim. The Cadets collected the offensive board, but a wild pass went out of bounds to give the ball back to Castleton. Magro was again fouled, and once more knocked down both to cushion the lead to 66-61 with 11 seconds remaining. The Cadets' final possession was anticlimactic, as a quick turnover on an errant pass gave the ball back to the Spartans to drain the final seconds from the clock.
 
Liz Bailey notched 13 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double in the victory, and Epler finished the night with eight points and six boards. In addition to her career-night scoring the basketball, Magro had six rebounds and two steals. Moore finished with six points and eight rebounds—three of which came on the offensive end of the floor. Maggie McKearin was ferocious on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds in just 17 minutes. She had four offensive rebounds that led directly to four Spartan points in her time on the court.
 
As a team, VTSU Castleton shot 30.4 percent from the floor and 22.7 percent from three. Norwich was similar in both categories, hitting 33.3 percent of field goals and 26.9 percent of threes. A big difference came in ball control, with Norwich committing 23 turnovers that led to 20 Spartan points. Castleton also had 14 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds in the game.
 
Haley Brewster led the Cadets in scoring with 25 points, though she finished just 7-of-31 from the field. She was bolstered by an 8-for-8 night at the free-throw line and added six rebounds. Maren McGinn controlled the paint with 17 points and 19 rebounds for Norwich.
 
The Spartans got off to a strong start in the contest, opening up an 8-2 lead in the first two minutes thanks to threes from Epler and Bailey and a jumper from Magro. Norwich countered with a three by Brewster and a jumper by McGinn to make it 8-7 before Moore knocked down a three for VTSU Castleton. The Spartans held a 15-13 lead later in the frame before Norwich closed the opening quarter on a 7-2 run to lead 20-17 after the first 10 minutes.
 
The Cadets' hot streak continued into the second quarter, with a 7-1 run over the first five-plus minutes that ended with a McGinn three to put the Cadets ahead 27-18. Castleton was held without a field goal in the frame until Bailey dropped in a layup with 4:48 to go to stop the bleeding. Castleton clawed its way closer going into halftime, with Magro and Bailey each hitting jumpers to make it a six-point game late in the half. After a layup by McGinn, Magro hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to go into halftime trailing 34-28.
 
The Spartans drew closer still after the third quarter, outscoring the Cadets 16-13 out of the break. Moore made a jumper in the lane immediately out of the half thanks to some good ball movement, and Magro scored the next eight points for Castleton. After Luna Perry-St. Peter dropped in a layup to make it 44-40, Norwich received a triple from Brewster to extend its lead back to 47-40. Magro took over in the final minutes of the third, netting a pair of jumpers to end the third with Castleton within a single possession, 47-44, setting up the fourth-quarter comeback.
 
VTSU Castleton's winning streak head-to-head over Norwich now sits at eight games, with the last loss coming in 2016.
 
The Spartans are back in action this weekend at the Cardinal Classic at Plattsburgh State where head coach Kathleen Payne will take her program back to her gymnasium where she played her college basketball. The first of two weekend contests is Friday night at 5 p.m. against SUNY Potsdam in a neutral-site contest, with VTSU Castleton playing Plattsburgh on Saturday.