Jan 28, 2012
CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton State College men's basketball team turned a five-point halftime lead into a 92-72 win over the University of Maine at Farmington, assaulting the Beavers with a barrage of three-pointers after intermission in North Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gym.
UMF slipped to 10-8 overall and 10-2 in the NAC. The Beavers are scheduled to host Colby-Sawyer College in NAC action Friday (women at 5:30 p.m., men to follow). With the win the Spartans take over sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Castleton has now won five straight games, and eight of its last nine to improve to 12-7 overall and 11-1 in conference play.
The Spartans placed five players in double figures, led by Mark Comstock's (Rutland, Vt.) 24. Logan White (Hartford, Vt.) followed with 14 off the bench, including a 4-for-6 performance from long distance. Keith Schneider (Benson, Vt.) and Matt Cooney (Washingtonville, N.Y.) each added 11, while Greg Hughes (West Rutland, Vt.) tossed in 10.
Pet Sumner (Cramerton, N.C.) led the Beavers with 18 points, including a 4-for-7 performance from downtown. Yusuf Iman (Auburn, Maine) and Andrew Dickey (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) followed with a dozen points apiece.
The first half was a see-saw battle, featuring four ties and ten lead changes, with the Spartans ending the half on a 7-2 run to take a 41-36 lead into the locker room. Schneider had five points during the surge, including an old-fashioned three-point-play to cap the run.
UMF led by as many as seven during the first half, using a 13-0 run midway through the half to take a 22-15 lead with 9:42 remaining. Castleton quickly erased the deficit with seven-straight points of their own, capped by a Comstock three. Sumner answered with a bucket and the teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the half.
A Dickey lay-up cut the deficit to three to open the second half, but five quick points from Comstock and a three by Chad Pulver (Bennington, Vt.) pushed the lead to 49-38 with 18:44 left. Kevin Leary (Manchester, Maine) knocked home a three at the 18:32 to bring the lead within single digits once again, but the Spartans caught fire quickly and went on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 64-43 lead with 16:49 left to play.
The Spartans maintained a comfortable advantage for the remainder of the game, pushing the lead to as high as 81-52, before settling in for the 20-point win.
Castleton finished the game 15-for-41 from long distance, including a 12-22 performance during the second half, at one point making 10-of-13. The Spartans turned 34 UMF turnovers into 50 points, and corralled 24 offensive rebounds to just six for the Beavers to hold a 22-8 second-chance points advantage.
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| Pet Sumner | Yusuf Iman | Andrew Dickey | Kevin Leary | Garrett Clemmer |