CASTLETON, Vt. – The Spartans never trailed in the second half and made their free throws down the stretch to earn a 87-78 victory over Thomas in Glenbrook Gymnasium on Saturday in North Atlantic Conference action.

Leading by just four, Castleton went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the last 51 seconds and the Terriers managed just one basket as the Spartans improved to 11-5 overall and 9-1 within conference play. The win is the seventh straight, the program's longest winning streak since the 2006-07 season. With the loss, Thomas falls to 6-10 overall and 6-4 in the NAC.

The Spartans finished the day shooting 41.5 percent from the floor and went 9-for-25 from downtown while the Terriers hit 41.7 percent of their shots and narrowly outrebounded Castleton 45-44. The Spartans did own a 30-18 scoring advantage in the paint and received 36 points from their bench.

Chief among the bench scorers were Casey McGraw and Troy Davine. McGraw scored 12 first-half points and finished with a career-high 14 while Davine recorded a career-high 17 points, including three triples and three rebounds. Chad Copeland was solid in the middle with 15 points, four rebounds and three blocks while Logan White had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Senior Garen Manzo used an effective mid-range jumper to score a game-high 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting. He also added eight rebounds and two assists. Levin Barnes was also in double figures with 15 points and six rebounds while Eric Westbrooks added 14 points and five boards.

The two teams traded baskets over the opening five minutes before a 7-0 run by the Terriers gave them a 15-10 lead at 14:41. Castleton closed it to 17-14 on a 4-2 run and another 6-2 spurt put the Spartans back in front, 19-18, on a White triple with 12:04 left. Manzo took back the lead with a jump shot but Castleton countered with eight straight to make it 27-20 with nine minutes left in the half.

Thomas closed back within three at 29-26 and then cut the deficit to two with 6:14 left. Back-to-back layups by McGraw and Chad Pulver pushed the lead to six and McGraw drilled a three from the wing for the 38-29 lead at 5:27. The Terriers locked down on defense and closed within three in the final minute, but Steve Rosemond connected on a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds left for the 42-37 lead at the break.

Castleton opened the second half on a 9-5 run over the first four minutes to push its lead to 51-42. Thomas countered with the next six points to cut the deficit to three, however the Spartans built their lead back to ten with a layup and then three from Davine at 9:34. The Spartans were unable to extend their lead beyond eight over the next three minutes and a pair of buckets by Manzo closed it to 68-64 with 4:22 left.

Copeland responded with a pair of free throws, but a 5-2 run by Manzo cut Castleton's lead to 72-69 at 2:55. However, Tyler Ackley found Davine in the far corner for a triple to double the lead. Manzo responded with a pair of free throws but the Spartans connected on three free throws to make it 78-71 with 1:34 left. The teams traded points over the final minute, with Manzo getting the Terriers as close as three before Chad Pulver ended the game's scoring with six consecutive free throws in the last 40 seconds.

Pulver finished the game with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds while Ackley added six points, nine assists and four rebounds. Carnelius Green was in double figures with ten points, five rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday when they host No. 9 Williams at 7 pm in Glenbrook Gym.