February 22, 2008

Castleton wraps up regular season with convincing 54-30 win

Castleton, VT-The Castleton State College women’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a 54-30 win over visiting Johnson State in North Atlantic Conference action. The Spartans have won four-straight and 12 out of their last 13, improving to 18-7 overall and 13-2 in conference play.

Castleton clung to a 20-19 lead at halftime, but opened up the scoring thanks in large part to its defensive effort. The Spartans, who entered the game ranked fourth in the country in scoring defense, allowed just 11 second half points, and three second half field goals as the 11-14 (7-8 NAC) Badgers shot just 12.5% in the half.

Johnson State junior Jenna Lewis led all scorers with 16 points, including four first-half three-pointers, but no other Badger was able to score more than six on the night.

Junior guard Mary Nienow scored a team-high 14 points, including a 4 for 7 performance from beyond the three-point stripe. Sophomore, Katie Hoxsie, pressed into the starting lineup due to injury, responded with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals on the night. Erinn O’Rourke was 3 for 4 from three-point range for 9 points, as nine Spartans scored.

Both Johnson State and Castleton will return to play Tuesday, February 26 in North Atlantic Conference Quarterfinal action. Both teams await the final pairings for game opponents and times. [Box Score]

###Spartans###