FARMINGTON, Maine -- The fourth-seeded Castleton State Spartans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they upset the top-seeded University of Maine at Farmington Beavers 70-46 in the North Atlantic Conference semifinals Friday night in Farmington.

Mark Comstock led the way for Castleton, tallying a game-high 25 points, and shot an incredible 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the field. He also added three assists and two steals.

The Spartans used a swarming defense to shut down UMF's offensive attack, holding Ben Johnson (Manchester, Maine/Maranacook) scoreless in the first half, and to just eight points and eight rebounds on the night. 

Castleton used a 12-0 run in the first half to pull away to a 37-19 lead at halftime, shooting 68.2% from the field, and an even more impressive 85.7% from behind the arc. They out-rebounded the Beavers 16-7, and held UMF to 33.3% shooting.

The Spartans dominated the boards throughout the game, out-rebounding the Beavers 29-20. They also had 11 more assists than UMF, and the Beavers did not make a single free throw in the game.

Logan White and Jeremy Odena were also in double figures for Castleton, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. Nate Carson (Orrington, Maine/Brewer) was the only Beaver in double figures with 12 points of his own, including knocking down a pair of threes. Andrew Dickey (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) added nine points before fouling out of the game late in the second half.

Comstock, White, and Odena combined for eight of Castleton's 10 made three's, and the team shot 62.5% from three in the game.  Castleton's bench outscored UMF's 17-2 in the game.

Castleton advances to the NAC Championship game, and will play the winner of #2 seed Husson and #3 seed Colby-Sawyer tomorrow at 2:00 pm in Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington.

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