CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's basketball team closed out its home schedule with a tough 78-62 loss to the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors in Little East Conference action on Senior Day Saturday afternoon.

Prior to Saturday's game, VTSU Castleton honored its two seniors, Conner McKearin and Ben Seiler.

The Basics
Final Score: Eastern Connecticut 78, VTSU Castleton 62
Location: Glenbrook Gymnasium – Castleton, Vt.
Records: Eastern Connecticut 15-8, 7-7 LEC | VTSU Castleton 6-17, 1-13 LEC

How It Happened
Ethan Lussier opened the scoring right off the tip, finishing a layup off a pass from Will Radcliff to give the Spartans the early edge. The game went back and forth in the opening minutes, with both teams trading baskets. A stretch of Spartan turnovers allowed the Warriors to capitalize and build an early lead.

Joe Buxton provided a spark off the bench, knocking down a three-pointer to pull Castleton within five. Following the second media timeout, both teams hit a scoring lull, with Eastern Connecticut managing just six points over a four-minute span. Ben Seiler jump started the Spartans with a mid-range jumper and later converted a fast break layup off a steal by Zach Thompson to once again trim the deficit to five. Castleton cut the margin to one on a layup from Conner McKearin and briefly took the lead on a Radcliff layup. However, a late steal allowed the Warriors to regain control and take a 34-30 advantage into halftime.

Eastern Connecticut came out of the break and took advantage of the perimeter, draining multiple threes to extend its lead. The Spartans were held scoreless for the first three minutes of the half until Seiler connected on a jumper to get Castleton back on the board. For much of the second half, the Spartans stayed within 10 points, continuing to chip away at the deficit. The Warriors were able to build their largest lead of the game behind second-chance opportunities and held a 39-26 rebounding advantage to win the game 78-62.

By the Numbers

• Radcliff recorded a double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds, also adding three assists and one block.
• Seiler tallied 13 points, one rebound and one assist.

What's Next
The Spartans will travel to Plymouth State on Wednesday, February 18, for another Little East Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.