DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's basketball team fell 67-57 on the road to Little East Conference opponent UMass Dartmouth, Saturday afternoon, despite Emily Adams' first double-double of the season.

The Basics:

• Final Score: 67-57 UMass Dartmouth
• Location: Tripp Athletic Center – Dartmouth, Mass.
• Records: 4-4 (1-1 LEC) UMass Dartmouth | 3-4 (0-2 LEC) Castleton

How it Happened:
UMass Dartmouth opened with a 6-0 run before Adams hit two free throws to put Castleton on the board. The Corsairs built a 10-point lead with under three minutes left, but Maggie McKearin's two free throws sparked Castleton's scoring. Stasia Epler scored with a jumper and a three-pointer to bring Castleton within three, and McKearin added a fastbreak layup with a minute left (15-16). Adams made a jump shot as the quarter ended, giving Castleton the lead briefly, but the Corsairs responded to finish the frame ahead by one (17-18).

Early in the second, Adams tied the game at 20, then Arianna Coombs made a layup to put Castleton ahead (22-20). McKearin added two free throws for Castleton's largest lead. Coombs added a fastbreak layup, giving Castleton a seven-point edge. UMass Dartmouth closed the gap to one with two free throws (31-30) before Adams pushed Castleton ahead again. The Corsairs responded with two free throws, and Castleton entered halftime up by three (35-32).

The Corsairs regained the lead three and a half minutes into the third quarter with a jump shot (35-36), but Epler answered with another big three to give Castleton back the lead. The two teams battled back and forth as the third frame continued, with a good layup by UMass Dartmouth to take a four-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action (44-48).

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Adams cut a three-point Corsair lead down to one off a drained layup, and knocked down another jump shot with five minutes to go (53-56). The Corsairs then jumped out to a 10-point lead with two minutes to go, forcing the Spartans to go to work (65-55). The final bucket of the day for UMass Dartmouth came with 16 seconds left, and Kyrielle Deuso had one final push for Castleton with a good layup in the final two seconds. The early push from the Spartans was not enough as the Corsairs walked away with the 67-57 win.

By the Numbers:

• Adams led the team with her first double-double of the season, posting 21 points, 12 rebounds, and adding three assists.
• Epler added 12 points of her own, with four rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
• McKearin had a team-high three steals, adding nine points, three rebounds, and two assists.

What's Next
The squad returns to Glenbrook Gym on Wednesday, December 10, for a midweek non-conference matchup against SUNY Cobleskill, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.