CASTLETON, Vt. – Castleton looked in control midway through the second half on Friday evening, however Husson came back to force overtime and didn't trail in the extra session on the way to a 73-68 victory at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Trailing 64-63 with just seven seconds left in regulation, sophomore Alyssa Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) made one of two free throws to draw the Spartans even at 64 and force overtime. In the extra session, the Eagles scored seven of the first nine points and held on for win to improve to 2-4 on the season and 2-0 in the North Atlantic Conference.
Castleton drops to 2-1 in the NAC with the loss and 5-2 on the season. Senior Vanessa Powers (Marshfield, Vt.) led the offense with 20 points and also pulled down nine boards and recorded three steals. Sophomore Alyssa Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) added four steals as the Spartans forced 31 turnovers on the evening. Leonard and senior Christine Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) reached double figures with 11 points apiece.
Castleton opened the game strong, outscoring Husson 12-5 over the first 4:28 of the contest. The Spartans then pushed the lead to 22-11 on a layup by Powers with 10:06 remaining in the half. The Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead and trailed just 30-25 with 2:47 left. Meghan O'Sullivan (Merrick, N.Y.) scored 17 seconds later to extend the lead to seven, however, five free throws over the final 2:30 pulled Husson within two, 32-30 at the break.
Three minutes into the second half the two teams were knotted at 36. An old fashioned three-point play by Tarryn Bolognani (Whitingham, Vt.) made it 39-36 and the Spartans went on to score six straight points and push the lead to 45-36 with 14:07 left. Castleton maintained its advantage for the next ten minutes, before the Eagles closed within three at 61-58.
A 5-2 run by Husson made it a one-point game, 63-62, with 1:59 remaining and after a pair of empty possessions by both teams, Kelli Murray (Shawmut, Maine) hit a layup with 17 seconds left to give the Eagles their first lead of the second half, 64-63. The free throw by Leonard tied it at 64 and set it to overtime.
Both teams traded jumpers to start the extra period, however a three by Marissa Albert (Fort Kent, Maine) 1:18 in proved to be the difference. Murray added a pair of free throws in the final minute to make it a 71-66 game and Castleton could only trade points over the final 52 seconds.
Murray and senior Brianna Hanscom each recorded double-doubles for the Eagles. Murray had a team-high 21 points and pulled down 12 boards while Hanscom grabbed 14 rebounds and added 12 points. Albert was also in double figures with 17 points, including all three of Husson's three pointers.
Husson returns to the court on Saturday for a battle with Green Mountain while the Spartans host Maine Maritime at 3 p.m.