CASTLETON, Vt. – The Spartans shot nearly 54 percent from the floor in the second half to erase an early deficit and hold on for a 110-109 victory over Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday evening in Glenbrook Gym. 

Leading by 110-105 Castleton fouled Wol Majong following an offensive rebound with just 1.9 seconds left. The sophomore made the first free throw and missed the second intentionally but grabbed the rebound and hoisted a three from the near corner as time expired to give the Spartans the one-point victory. 

Castleton earned the win despite allowing Colby-Sawyer to shoot 58 percent from the field and 7-for-15 from downtown. The Spartans did manage to force 24 turnovers and turn it into 39 points as they improved to 15-7 overall and 13-2 in the North Atlantic Conference with the win. The Chargers impressive shooting was nullified by the fact they gave up 23 offensive rebounds and dropped to 11-10 overall and 10-5 in conference play. 

In addition to owning a 43-40 rebounding edge, Castleton also finished the game shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and hit 14 threes, ten of which came in the final 20 minutes. The team also recorded 13 steals and dished off 25 assists. 

Logan White matched a career high with eight shots from downtown and finished with 32 points, just one short of his career high. He also added two rebounds and five steals. Steve Rosemond poured in 19 points, four rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes while Chad Copeland had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Tyler Ackley didn't score bud dished off nine helpers while turning the ball over only three times. 

Mike Dias owned the inside on Wednesday, shooting 12-for-16 from the field and finishing with 33 points and ten rebounds. Stephen Thorpe, meanwhile, got into the lane at will as he scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting and dished off eight assists. Peter Donato added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. 

Castleton jumped out to a 6-2 lead just 1:20 into the game and two minutes later Rob Coloutti drilled a triple for a 14-6 advantage. Rosemond added a layup at 15:46 for the ten-point lead but Donato ended the run with a pair of free throws ten seconds later. The Spartan lead stretched to 12 but an 11-2 run by the Chargers cut the Castleton lead to 22-19 with 12:23 left. Carnelius Green stopped the run and Brandon Bergeron followed with a three for the 27-19 advantage at 11:36. 

Colby-Sawyer came back once again and closed within four, 29-25, on a 4-0 run by Dias. However, over the next three minutes Castleton kept the Chargers at bay and a three from White made it 39-31 with 6:35 remaining. A 7-2 run by Colby-Sawyer pulled them within three and after a pair of Troy Davine free throws made it 43-38, the Chargers went on an 11-1 run to grab a 49-44 lead. Castleton climbed back to tie with six straight in the final 80 seconds of the half, but a layup from Majong gave Colby-Sawyer a 55-53 lead at the break. 

The Spartans opened the second half on a 7-1 run to take back the lead, however, the Chargers countered with a 6-3 run for the 64-63 lead. The teams traded baskets until a 5-0 run gave Castleton a 74-69 advantage with 13:42 left. Colby-Sawyer tied it up one minute later, but an 11-4 Spartan run pushed them in front 83-76 with 11:02 left. 

The Chargers tied it up 86 apiece at 8:33, but Copeland countered with a layup. The Spartans continued to hold a slim lead over the next five minutes, with a White triple giving Castleton a 103-98 lead with 3:48 left. Jahnathan Mitchell made it 108-99 a minute later on a three and Copeland pushed the Spartan advantage to 110-103 with 41 seconds left. Thorpe closed the deficit to 110-105 with 14 seconds but Castleton held on despite Majong's late heroics. 

The Spartans return to action this weekend when they travel to face Thomas at 7:30 pm on Friday.