CASTLETON, Vt. - The Spartans got a layup from Matt Cooney (Washingtonville, N.Y.) with just 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, but in the extra session Skidmore never trailed and held on for the hard-fought 108-99 victory over Castleton on Tuesday evening at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Trailing 93-92 with just 11 seconds left, the Spartans sent Terron Victoria (Albany, N.Y.) to the line for a pair of free throws. He missed the first and after making the second, Castleton called its final timeout. Needing a bucket to tie, Greg Hughes (West Rutland, Vt.) got the ball and rose up for a jump shot on the right elbow with three seconds left. At that moment, Cooney made a cut from the left wing to the hoop and Hughes made a pass mid-shot to feed him for the layup, tying the score at 94 with 2.4 ticks left.
However, in overtime the Thoroughbreds took control, draining a triple on their first possession and holding Castleton without a bucket for the final three minutes on their way to the 108-99 win.
Hughes scored a career-high 28 points for the home squad, going 5-for-12 from behind the arc. He added a pair of assists and two steals. Junior Mark Comstock (Rutland, Vt.) finished the night with 21 points, five boards and four assists. Senior Keith Schneider (Fair Haven, Vt.) was also vital to the cause, hitting all four of his shots for nine points while also leading the team in rebounds (9) and assists (5).
Five different players reached double figures for Skidmore, lead by Brian Lowry (West Hartford, Conn.). The lanky forward had a trio of triples and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals. Connor Merrill (Panton, Vt.) was behind him with 17 while John Mantas (Niskayuna, N.Y.) came off the bench to pour in 16 points and dish out three assists.
The first 20 minutes was game of runs. Castleton started hot, jumping out to the 16-6 lead just 5:06 into the contest. The Thoroughbreds got back in it, going on an impressive 32-8 run over the next seven minutes to push their lead up to 38-24 with 7:54 left. The Spartans countered over the next six minutes by outscoring their opponents 27-9 and taking back the lead, 51-47. However, Skidmore scored twice in the final minute of play to tie it up at 51 at the break.
There were nine lead changes in the second half, as neither team could gain the upper hand. In the waning minutes though, it was the Thoroughbreds who made the first move, breaking an 86-86 tie with a 5-0 run.
Trailing by five with 1:16 left in regulation, Castleton got a pair of free throws from Comstock and then from Hughes to cut the Thoroughbred lead to 91-90 with just 34 seconds remaining. The Spartans were forced to foul, and after trading two free throws for a layup by Comstock, they sent Victoria to the line with just 14 remaining down 93-92.
Tyler Ackley (Scotia, N.Y.) and Dammy Mustapha (Bellows Falls, Vt.) also reached double figures for Castleton. Ackley was 4-for-5 from downtown for 14 points while Mustapha found inside for 13.
Skidmore improves to 4-1 with the victory while the Spartans fall to 2-4 with the loss. Castleton returns to action on Friday when the team hosts Husson for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.