Brunswick, Maine – Jade Desroches has good timing. The junior point guard played the best game of her college career in the biggest game of her college career, scoring a career-high 32 points as Castleton upset host Bowdoin 64-62 in Morrell Gymnasium Friday night. The win marks the first time in program history that Castleton has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
Desroches played all 40 minutes, controlling the tempo of the game, and paced the Spartan offense. The junior came up in the clutch as well, knocking down 12-of-14 free throws, including six in the final minute to seal the Spartans' win. Alyssa Leonard chipped in with nine points, seven rebounds and three steals and Liz Douglass added five points, six boards, and four steals, while limiting the Polar Bears' top scorer.
Shannon Brady and Megan Phelps led Bowdoin, each recording double-doubles for the hosts. Brady finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Phelps notched 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sarah Binkhorst went for 15 points and nine boards as well.
Castleton shot 42.9% from the floor in the second half, including 5-for-11 from behind the arc to comeback from a six-point halftime deficit to shock the Polar Bears on their home floor.
In the first half, Castleton held tight with the Polar Bears despite a poor shooting performance from the floor. The Spartans went just 8-for-33 from the field for a 24.2% first half shooting percentage, but trailed by just six at the break.
Megan Phelps lit up the scoreboard early for the Polar Bears, scoring their first seven points. Castleton countered with a three from Desroches, a layup from Liz Douglass and a jumper from Megan O'Sullivan to stick right with the hosting Polar Bears. Castleton trailed 12-7 after a triple from Selena Lorrey but Alyssa Leonard cut the lead to two with a foul shot at the 11:38 mark.
Bowdoin broke out on a short run, outscoring the Spartans 11-5 over the next 6:07 to extend their lead to 23-15. Castleton responded with a push back before the halftime break. Keyed by nine points from Desroches, Castleton cut the Bowdoin lead to 27-23 with 1:03remaining, but the Polar Bears converted on their final possession to take a six-point lead into the half.
In the second frame, the Spartans came out of the locker room on a mission. The squad began the half shooting 6-for-10 going on a 17-4 run over the first 5:17of the half to take a 40-33 lead. Desroches began the half with five straight points, knocking down a three and then penetrating on a layup on consecutive possessions. Megan O'Sullivan tacked on a three-pointer and Desroches tied the game at 33-33 with a pair of free throws. The Spartans converted a pair of transition layups and Alyssa Leonard drilled a three to put Castleton up 40-33.
After a timeout, Bowdoin came out looking to feed the post, and did so for a 5-0 run to cut the lead to two. Shannon Brady converted consecutive layups to make it 40-38. After trading buckets, the Spartans responded with a 9-0 run to go up 51-40. Ali Jones drilled a mid-range jumper, then Alyssa Leonard knocked down a foul shot. The next two possessions Desroches and Jones drained back-to-back threes to give Castleton an 11-point lead, their largest of the evening.
Bowdoin did not lay down though, and cut the deficit back down to five points after Megan Phelps drained a mid-range shot with 2:02 left. Castleton came up empty the next offensive possession, and Bowdoin pushed at their opportunity. The Polar Bears took three shots on their next offensive possession but came up empty.
In the final two minutes, Castleton barely held off the Bears as they buried a pair of layups and two deep threes to cut down the Spartan lead, but the visitors drilled 9-of-12 shots from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal the 64-62 win.
Before tonight, Bowdoin had only lost once on their home court this season, and owned a 146-16 record at home since 2002-03. The Polar Bears end their season with a 21-6 mark, dropping just their second home NCAA Tournament game in program history.
Castleton moves to 26-3 on the season, including a still-perfect 13-0 mark on the road. The Spartans will return to Morrell Gymnasium on Saturday, March 8 to take on Plattsburgh St. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals defeated Roger Williams 67-56 in the other first round game at Bowdoin on Friday.