CASTLETON, Vt. – Senior Vanessa Powers (Marshfield, Vt.) led ten Spartans on the score sheet with 21 points as Castleton State College raced out to a 40-point lead by halftime, and cruised to an 87-39 win over Thomas College in North Atlantic Conference women's hockey action Friday evening at Glenbrook Gym.
Powers was virtually unstoppable, making 10-of-15 form the field and grabbing six boards in 23 minutes of action. Classmate Christine Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) dumped in 15 points, including three from downtown to go along with seven assists and just one turnover. Sophomore Stephanie Bull (Milton, Vt.) rounded out the Spartans in double-figures with 14, while classmate Heather Murdough (Hillsborough, N.H.) corralled a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with six points off the bench.
Karin Bird (Lee, Maine) scored a team-high 19 points, including 13 after intermission to lead the Terriers.
The Terriers hung around for the opening five minutes of play, but a Powers lay-up put the Spartans up for good and ignited a 15-2 run over the next eight minutes as Castleton pushed its lead to 22-8. After trading baskets in successive trips, Castleton took control for good, reeling off a 28-2 run, and holding the Terriers without a field goal for the final eight minutes in the half to take a 54-14 lead into the interval.
Castleton slowed things down and were much more deliberate over the final 20 minutes, as every player on the stat sheet registered more than 10 minutes and scored at least two points. Castleton blistered the nets, shooting 48.7% (38-78), holding a decisive 42-18 advantage in the paint, and a 30-4 margin off turnovers. The Spartans also had 24 second chance points, and 28 points off the bench while piling up 23 assists to just 12 turnovers.
With the win Castleton has now won seven-straight games and stands at 13-4 overall, 10-1 in NAC play. Thomas falls to 2-15, 2-9.
Both teams return to action tomorrow at 1 pm when Castleton hosts University of Maine at Farmington, and Thomas travels to Green Mountain.