CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's basketball team battled hard on Saturday against UMass Dartmouth, but the Corsairs' length proved too tall a task to overcome as the visitors topped Castleton 80-67 at Glenbrook Gym in Little East Conference action.
The Spartans (6-15, 2-10 LEC) were powered by an impressive offensive day from
Joe Russell, who finished with 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting. Russell hit a pair of threes and went 2-for-2 at the free throw line.
Scott Lampron added 13 points and
Zach Thompson had eight.
Will Radcliff dished out seven assists and had four rebounds.
Justin Schwarzbeck's six rebounds led the team.
The Corsairs had five different players in double figures scoring, led by 16 each from Isaac Percy and John Marcille. Ryan Flauto had 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench and Nic Boyd chipped in 12 points. Jackson Zancan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.
UMass Dartmouth dominated the glass, using their size advantage to claim a 43-17 edge in rebounds in the contest, leading to 18 second-chance points. The Spartans were able to take advantage of 15 Corsair turnovers to the tune of 22 Spartan points.
VTSU Castleton came out of the gates quickly, going ahead 7-0 through two and a half minutes thanks to five points from Lampron and two from Radcliff early on. The Corsairs then used an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to pull within a point, 9-8. Lampron added to the lead by hitting 3-for-3 after getting fouled from distance, but the Corsairs buckled down with a 10-0 run to take an 18-12 lead midway through the half. The Spartans drew within two, 20-18, after Russell dropped in back-to-back scores, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the night. A 7-2 run made it 27-22 Corsairs and a later 8-0 burst extended the lead to 35-22 late in the half. Castleton closed th gap before halftime, using an 8-0 run of its own to draw within five, but a last-second layup by Percy sent UMass Dartmouth to the locker room leading 37-30.
The Spartans hung close in the early minutes of the second half, cutting the gap to four thanks to a trio of early buckets. A three from Russell made it just a three-point game, 42-39, but back-to-back Flauto layups for Dartmouth extended the lead to seven once more. A 13-2 run that took only two-plus minutes sank the Spartans hopes, giving UMass Dartmouth a 59-43 lead. The Spartans closed the gap at the end, outscoring the Corsairs 8-3 in the final three minutes, but it was not enough to overcome the gap with the horn sounding on an 80-67 final score.
The Spartans return to action on Wednesday night at Plymouth State. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
