Castleton Powers Past Women's Basketball

CASTLETON, Vt. – The Spartans started slow but outscored Elms 25-5 in the second quarter and stretched their lead as high as 35 points in the second half before finishing with a 71-39 victory on Wednesday evening in Glenbrook Gym.

Castleton actually trailed by four in the early minutes, but fought off some poor shooting to go 6-for-12 from downtown and 13-for-32 from the floor in the first half. The Spartans shot 41.9 percent for the contest with seven triples as they improved to 3-0 with the win. The Blazers were limited to just 26.9 percent shooting in the contest, including 2-for-14 from beyond the arc as they dropped to 0-2. Castleton owned a 50-36 edge on the boards and forced 24 turnovers while recording 12 steals. 

The starting backcourt of Jade Desroches and Lindsay Sabo each scored 15 points while playing just 20 and 19 minute apiece. Bryanna duPont added eight points and seven rebounds while Taylor Raiche grabbed nine rebounds in 18 minutes. Ashlie Fay did a bit of everything with seven points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists, and Abbie Lesure led the team with four assists. 

Elms didn't have a player in double figures, though Emily Burr led the team with eight points. Alexandra Marques recorded ten rebounds and seven points while JC Pickett scored seven points. Heather Bailey added five points and five rebounds off the bench. 

Castleton came out slow and the Blazers jumped out to leads of 6-2 and 8-4 in the opening minutes. An Ali Jones free throw pulled the Spartans within three and Desroches scored the next six points for an 11-8 lead at3:35. The Spartans outscored Elms 6-3 the rest of the quarter for a 17-11 lead. 

The second quarter was all Spartans as they used a 10-0 spurt over three minutes to extend their lead to 30-13 with 5:29 led in the period. The Blazers scored three straight but Castleton finished the quarter on a 12-0 run for a 42-16 lead at the half. 

In the third quarter the Spartans continued to push and extended their lead to 35 on a jump shot from Sabo at5:24. Elms pulled within 29, 55-26, with 1:21 left, but Castleton scored four points in the last 23 seconds for a 59-26 advantage. The Spartans emptied their bench in the fourth quarter and again extended the lead to 35 on an Andrea Trudeau jumper off a feed from Lesure at 6:28, before finishing with the 32-point win. 

Castleton received 30 points from its bench as 11 different players scored and 13 grabbed at least one rebound. Lacey Stever had a solid game, with five points and four steals. 

The Blazers travel to Western Connecticut State for the Hat City Tournament this weekend. The Spartans return to action on Tuesday when they travel to face Plymouth St. at 5:30 pm.

Source: (Castleton Athletics)