Colby-Sawyer stops Spartan win-streak at 13 behind DeSanty’s 28

More news about: Castleton

NEW LONDON, N.H. Colby-Sawyer junior guard Taylor DeSanty (North Adams, Mass.) led four Chargers in double-figures with 28 points in a 74-72 win over Castleton State College in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Coffin Fieldhouse.

 

The loss snaps Castleton's 13-game winning streak as the Spartans wrap up the regular season as the top-seed entering the NAC tournament at 19-5 overall and 16-2 in NAC play. Colby-Sawyer, number-two in the league finishes its regular season slate at 19-6, 15-3.

 

Vannesa Powers (Marshfield, Vt.) scored a team-high 24 points and hauled in nine rebounds to pace a trio of Spartans in double-figures. Alyssa Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) added 13 points and five assists while Christine Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) added 11 points including a trio from long distance range. Freshman Meghan O'Sullivan (Merrick, N.Y.) added nine points and nine boards off the bench.

 

DeSanty's 28 points came on a 10-for-18 performance from the floor, including 4-of-7 shooting from downtown. The junior guard also grabbed eight rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Cailin Bullett (Millbury, Mass.) and Kelsey Bragdon (Wells, Maine) each added 15 points while Kelsey Cahill (Cumberland, R.I.) added 11.

 

The league's marquee matchup did not disappoint, featuring seven lead changes and nine ties throughout the back-and-forth affair.

 

The first half alone featured four lead changes and five ties as Castleton raced out to a quick 9-2 lead over the opening three minutes of action. A 13-5 Charger run over the next seven minutes gave Colby-Sawyer its first lead. Neither team led by more than six for the remainder of the half, and the Chargers carried a 35-31 lead into the interval on the strength of four-straight points by DeSanty just before halftime.

 

DeSanty scored the first eight Charger points of the second half, answering a hoop inside from Powers and a Kelly Conway (Rutland, Vt.) three-pointer to give Colby-Sawyer its largest lead of the game at 43-36 just two minutes into the second half. The Spartans kept within striking distance and grabbed their first lead of the second half with at 55-53 11:14 remaining on a Leonard lay-up, capping an 11-2 run. The Spartans extended the lead to 61-53 on the strength of an O'Sullivan jumper and four points from Tarryn Bolognani (Whitingham, Vt.).

 

The Spartans maintained the lead until the two-minute mark when a Bullett lay-up made it 71-70. A pair of Powers free throws grabbed the lead back for Castleton before Bullett answered with another lay-up at the other end with just less than a minute remaining.

 

Colby-Sawyer forced a missed shot and secured the rebound before absorbing a foul with 26 second remaining. The Chargers missed both free throws setting up Castleton with a chance to win in the final possession. The Chargers defended well and Castleton was only able to muster a Jaques three with under a second remaining that just missed its mark.

 

Both teams will host a NAC quarterfinal match-up on Tuesday at a time to be determined.