BOSTON, Mass. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's basketball team was unable to fend off UMass Boston on Wednesday night, falling to the Beacons 54-47 on the road at the Clark Athletic Center.
The Spartans (8-9, 2-6 LEC) led 40-33 heading into the final quarter, but the Beacons (4-11, 2-6 LEC) found their scoring stroke in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Castleton 21-7 in the final frame thanks in large part to 18 free throw attempts in the quarter. The Spartans finished the night 16-of-50 shooting with a pair of threes while UMass Boston shot 17-of-59 with two threes. Castleton was 13-of-23 at the free throw line and the Beacons hit 18-of-26. UMass Boston led 41-33 in rebounds.
Liz Bailey's 14-point, 10-rebound double-double led the team with
Elise Magro adding 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Arianna Coombs and
Stasia Epler had six points apiece and
Maggie McKearin dished out five assists to pair with four points.
Keriann Farina was the only Beacon in double figures, netting 15 points in the game. Paige Ollivierre had eight points and Sibayla Jensen seven. Sunny Green snagged nine rebounds and Jensen added five assists.
The Spartans got off to a strong start, shooting 58.3 percent in the first quarter to race out to a 17-11 lead after 10 minutes. The offense went cold in the second quarter, however, as Castleton scored just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. The defense kept the Beacons in check, though, holding UMass Boston to nine points to send the Spartans to the locker room leading 24-20.
The third quarter began with a three-point play by Bailey to put VTSU Castleton ahead 27-20, but the two sides went back-and-forth from there. The lead was 34-28 after McKearin hit a pair of free throws and went back to six points after Coombs dropped in a layup a minute later. A four-point burst by Castleton late in the frame pushed the edge to 40-32. A Beacon free throw was the last point of the third, giving the Spartans a seven-point edge heading into the final 10 minutes.
The lead was cut to three two minutes in after four Beacon free throws, but Epler got Castleton moving in the right direction with a jumper to make it 42-37. A bucket by Ollivierre and a three from Jensen had UMass Boston back in business, leveling the score at 42-42 with four minutes remaining. Bailey hit 1-of-2 at the line, and the teams traded free throws from there to a 45-44 score in favor of the Spartans. UMass Boston hit back with consecutive baskets for a 48-45 edge, but Coombs pulled Castleton within a point with a layup. UMass Boston hit six more free throws on the way out to set the final score at 54-47.
The Spartans return home on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a Little East tilt against Rhode Island College.
