BOSTON, Mass. – For the second game in a row, the Vermont State University Castleton men's basketball team came up just short at the horn, falling 59-58 to UMass Boston on Wednesday evening.
After Saturday's heartbreaker that saw a would-be-game-winning three waved off, the Spartans had a good look from the corner for a go-ahead three in the final seconds trailing by a point, but the ball didn't drop.
Will Radcliff was fouled on the rebound, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity with 1.2 seconds left. Radcliff's first shot bounced out of the rim and into the waiting arms of a Beacon defender, who secured the rebound and ran out the clock.
Radcliff's strong performance on the day helped put the Spartans in a good position late in the game, with the sophomore posting 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Scott Lampron had 14 points and
Joe Russell added 10 with seven rebounds.
Justin Schwarzbeck had seven points and five rebounds before fouling out in the second half.
The Spartans faced an uphill battle at halftime, trailing by 10 after scoring just 26 first-half points in a defensive struggle on both sides. The Spartans turned it around in the second half, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 7-of-9 at the line over the final 20 minutes. Four points unanswered out of the locker room made it 36-30, but the Beacons hit back with five points of their own for a 41-30 edge. VTSU Castleton responded with a 5-0 run thanks to two free throws by Russell and a three from Lampron. The Beacons answered with a three on the other end before the teams traded jumpers to a 46-37 Beacon lead.
Leonard Brice hit a three and Lampron added a pair of free throws to pull the Spartans within four, 46-42. The sides went back-and-forth to a 56-52 lead for UMass Boston with five minutes to play. The Spartans used a pair of free throws by
Zach Thompson and a layup by Radcliff to level the score at 56-56 with four minutes to play. The Beacons inched ahead 58-56 on a pair of free throws, but Lampron responded with 2:25 to play with a jumper of his own to make it 58-58. Neither side hit a field goal again, with the only point in the final two-plus minutes coming on a single free throw by the Beacons—the difference maker in the game.
The Beacons were led by 12 points from Emanuel Zayas and 11 from Alex Woolery. Connor Walden added nine with 10 rebounds.
Castleton outshot UMass Boston 41.8 percent to 33.3 percent in the game, but a heavy advantage at the free throw line made all the difference for the Beacons. UMass Boston hit 15-of-18, while Castleton hit 7-of-9 in the contest. Rebounds were nearly even, favoring the Beacons 35-33.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they host Rhode Island College at 4 p.m. at Glenbrook Gym.
