WBB: Panthers triumph in back-and-forth battle at VTSU Castleton

CASTLETON, Vt. – The Plymouth State University women's basketball team defeated the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans, 67-66, in a Little East Conference (LEC) game at Glenbrook Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.

Three Panthers reached double-digit scoring in a match that saw 14 lead changes and seven ties. Graduate student Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, N.H.) led the Panthers with 18 points, while junior Bri Wilcox (Londonderry, N.H.) had a monster fourth quarter, tallying 12 of her 14 points in the final ten minutes of play. Junior Alli Ingalls (Hampstead, N.H.) rounded out the Panther scoring with 12 points in the winning effort.

The Spartans took a 60-59 lead with less than two minutes to play, but sophomore Hailey Malozzi (Maynard, Mass.) got to the basket to put the Panthers ahead for good. VTSU Castleton pulled to within 65-64 with less than ten seconds on the clock, but graduate student Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, N.H.) calmly drilled a pair of free throws to secure the win.

Plymouth State improves to 6-5 (2-2 LEC), posting the most overall wins and conference victories since the 2018-19 season when the team finished 10-14 and 4-12 in conference play. The Spartans fall to 7-7 (1-4 LEC).

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 67, VTSU Castleton 66
  • Plymouth State (6-5, 2-2 LEC)
  • VTSU Castleton (7-7, 1-4 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Lea Crompton (18 pts, 7-16 fg)
• Bri Wilcox (14 pts, 6-14 fg, 9 reb, 5 stl)
• Alli Ingalls (12 pts, 4-9 fg, 2-5 3pt)
• Sabrina Vlahovic (9 pts, 4-7 fg)
• Hailey Malozzi (4 pts, 9 reb, 4 stl)

How it Happened:

• The Panthers jumped out to a quick 14-2 advantage in the opening six minutes of play.
• VTSU Castleton responded, closing out the first quarter on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 16-12.
• The Spartans went ahead for the first time, 26-25, at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter.
• Plymouth State put home the last bucket of the half to go up 31-30 as the teams went to the locker room.
• The Panthers extended the advantage to six-points (37-31) to open the third quarter with 7:52 left on the clock.
• VTSU Castleton stormed back, re-gaining the lead 38-37 midway through the third.
• The end of third quarter remained a one-point game, with a scoreline of 46-45 in favor of the Spartans.
• Plymouth State opened the final quarter much like the first, recording the first seven points to go ahead 52-46 with 7:18 remaining in the contest.
• The Spartans came back again, taking a 58-57 lead with 3:11 on the clock.
• After multiple lead changes, the Panthers jumped ahead (61-60) on Malozzi's bucket with 1:46 left until the final horn.
• Wilcox added four straight insurance points to put the Panthers ahead 65-60 in the final minute of play.
• VTSU Castleton was forced to play the foul game as time wound down, but Crompton was solid from the line to clinch the victory.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 28-of-64 (43.8%) from the floor, and 4-of-16 (25.0%) from three.
• VTSU Castleton outrebounded the Panthers by a slim margin, 37-35.
• The Spartans attempted twice as many free throws (24) as the Panthers (12).
• PSU led for over 70% of the contest.
• Bench points were in the Spartans favor, 19-6.
• The Panthers nipped 14 steals.
• PSU dominated in the paint, outscoring its opponent 40-26.
• Plymouth State holds a 16-17 record against VTSU Castleton since the 1990-91 season, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Up Next:

• PSU heads to UMass Boston on Thursday (Jan. 11) for another LEC contest. Opening tip is set for 5:30 p.m.

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