CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's basketball team dropped a Little East Conference contest to a UMass Dartmouth team that is receiving votes in the national polls on Saturday afternoon, 93-74. Four Spartans reached double digits in scoring.
VTSU Castleton came out of the gates firing, as Arianna Coombs broke the ice with a jumper to put the Spartans up 2-0 with 8:41 remaining in the quarter. UMass Dartmouth quickly answered and built a seven-point lead, thanks to four points from Carly Whiteside, three from Kaylin Zalewski, and two from Teja Andrews.
The Spartans regained the lead at 4:38 when Maggie McKearin drained a three-pointer with an assist from Stasia Epler. This bucket sparked a surge from the green and white, who followed up with a strong defensive effort, holding the Corsairs to just three points in the closing minutes of the stanza while putting up 11 points to take a 21-14 lead.
Quarter two saw the visitors come back, building a 13-point lead and heading into the half with a 42-29 advantage.
Emily Adams opened the third quarter just eight seconds in with a jumper. UMass Dartmouth outscored Castleton 11-10 to extend its lead, but the Spartans were kept in it by an Epler three-pointer from well beyond the arc, pulling her team within 14 (53-39). Despite the hosts' best efforts, they trailed 66-56 heading into the final quarter.
The Spartans opened the closing 10 minutes in style, as Epler hit another three-pointer, sparking an eruption from the bench. The Corsairs responded with nine points in two minutes to lead 75-59, prompting a Castleton timeout at 7:42. Natalie Royer hit a jumper coming out of the break, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. Castleton eventually fell, 93-74.
First-year Emily Dingmon recorded her fourth-straight double-double, leading the team with 22 points and 15 rebounds. She also contributed four assists and two blocks.
Adams came close to the 20-point mark, finishing with 17 points (7-16 FG, 3-4 FT), along with five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Epler (16 points) and McKearin (11 points) also reached double figures in scoring. McKearin led the bench players with six rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
VTSU Castleton will return to action on Tuesday as it travels to Plymouth State for another LEC contest, set for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
