CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's basketball team sent its seniors off in style on Wednesday night, extinguishing the Beacons of UMass Boston 73-63 at Glenbrook Gym in the season's final home game.
 
The Spartans (7-17, 3-12 LEC) trailed by as many as 19 points in the contest and wiped out a nine-point halftime deficit, outscoring UMass Boston (8-17, 6-10 LEC) 50-31 in the second half. VTSU Castleton shot 36.2 percent from the floor and hit 17 free throws on the night. The Beacons had a narrow edge shooting at 37.9 percent and 11 threes, but made only 2-of-8 at the free throw line. The Spartans had an edge in points in the paint, 38-22; points off turnovers, 14-10; and fastbreak points, 8-0.  
 
Scott Lampron's 22 points led the Spartans on offense, followed by Joe Russell's 16 and Justin Schwarzbeck's 13. Lampron, Russell and Jordan Hunt were honored prior to the game as the team's three graduating seniors. Schwarzbeck, also a senior, is slated to return for a fifth year in 2024-25.
 
Will Radcliff led all players with 13 rebounds and Lampron snagged 11 boards to give himself his first double-double of the season. Russell came up one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards and Schwarzbeck added six of his own to go with three steals. Radcliff also led the way with four assists and a pair of blocks.
 
UMass Boston's Connor Walden paced the Beacons with 24 points and eight rebounds. Emanuel Zayas added 17 points as the only other player in double figures for UMass Boston. Zayas also had six assists before fouling out in the second half.
 
The Beacons raced out to a 9-2 lead early in the contest and held the lead around seven points for the next seven minutes. Leading 20-13, the Beacons knocked down four unanswered triples to pull ahead 32-13 with six minutes to play in the half.  The Spartans bounced back with a 10-0 run going into halftime, jump-started by a three and a layup from Schwarzbeck. Russell, Lampron and Radcliff got in on the action as well to make it a nine-point deficit at the break, 32-23.
 
After a UMass Boston bucket to start the second half, the Spartans posted seven straight points to pull with four, 34-30. An 11-4 run by UMass Boston over the ensuing six minutes had the visitors leading by 11, 45-34. A tip-in layup by Radcliff kicked off a 17-0 Spartan run that propelled VTSU Castleton to a 51-45 lead. Schwarzbeck and Lampron hit clutch threes during the stretch with Schwarzbeck knotting the game at 45-45 and Lampron giving the Spartans some breathing room to cap the six-minute span.
 
Another three by Lampron made it 54-47 in favor of the Spartans, but Zayas answered for the Beacons with a three on the other end. Three straight Spartan layups made it a 10-point lead for the hosts, 60-50, before the Beacons got back on the board. Leading 64-55, the Spartans forced a turnover that was collected by Leonard Brice near midcourt. Brice went in on a breakaway and unleashed a highlight reel dunk over a Beacon defender, sending the Glenbrook crowd into a frenzy and helping seal the victory. The Spartans hit seven free throws after the dunk, holding off the Beacons 73-63 in the penultimate game of the season.
 
The 2023-24 campaign concludes on Saturday with a trip to Gorham, Maine to take on the University of Southern Maine at 3 p.m.