Williamstown, Mass. - Castleton kept it close in the first half but the 18th-ranked Ephs showed why they are one of the top teams in the country, as Williams earned an 81-43 victory on Tuesday evening. 

The Spartans managed just 20 first-half points and shot 28.8 from the floor overall while going 5-for-22 from beyond the arc to drop to 9-3 on the year. Castleton attempted just seven free throws and was outrebounded 36-34. The Ephs, meanwhile, hit on 57.7 percent of their shots and went an impressive 11-for-18 from downtown while assisting on 22 of 30 field goals to improve to 13-2. 

Senior Jade Desroches scored 18 of the team's 20 points in the opening half and finished with 22 overall on 9-for-18 shooting. She also added five rebounds, one steal and one block. FreshmanMakayla Farrara came off the bench to chip in with seven points and three rebounds while Meghan O'Sullivan finished with four points and four rebounds. 

Lauren McCall was lights out for Willams, going 10-for-13, and 5-for-7 from downtown, to record 25 points and five assists. Ellen Cook added 15 points and six assists while Kellie MacDonald chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. 

Castleton actually jumped in front 6-5 on a shot from Bryanna DuPont with 14:23 left in the first half. However, Williams responded with the next 16 points before Desroches final broke the drought at 7:36 on a triple. Cook immediately responded with a three to make it 24-9, through five straight by Desroches dropped the deficit to just 24-14 with 4:46 left. The Ephs pushed their lead to 34-17 in the final minute before another Desroches three make it 34-20 going into the break. 

In the first five minutes of the second, Williams went on a 19-2 run to put the game out of reach at 53-22. Desroches and Farrara hit triples and Farrara followed with a layup to close the gap to 55-29 with 12:04 left. Over the next six minutes the Ephs continued to push the pace and stretched their lead to 69-35 on a three-point play by Lydia Zaleski. Williams kept shooting well to go ahead by 38 in the last four minutes and secure the eventual 81-43 win. 

The Spartans return to action on Thursday when they host Johnson St. at 5:30 pm.