NEW LONDON, N.H. – December 14, 2018 – The Colby-Sawyer College women's basketball team was edged by Castleton University, 43-41, in non-league action on Friday evening.

Castleton improves to 7-3. The Spartans will also play next at the end of the month with a pair of games at the Salem State Holiday Classic. Colby-Sawyer drops to 5-4. The Chargers will resume action at the end of the month at Baruch.

Castleton received 10 points apiece from sophomore Brooke Raiche (Ira, Vt.) and senior Ajla Medic (Burlington, Vt.). Raiche added seven rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore Mackenzie Buzzell (Lovell, Maine) led Colby-Sawyer with 11 points. Sophomore Joslin Wainwright (Plainfield, N.H.) added 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks. Juniors Tianna Sugars (Oxford, Maine) and Kristen Donaghey (Franklin, Mass.) added nine points apiece.

Colby-Sawyer had a 12-7 lead after the first 10 minutes as both teams shot less than 30% from the floor. The Spartans scored the first three points of the contest, but Colby-Sawyer answered with a 6-0 run capped by a Wainwright layup. Wainwright then added a free throw with 29 seconds left to give the Chargers the five-point lead after one.

Tianna Sugars made a pair of free throws to begin the second quarter and push the home lead to 14-7. Castleton then tied the game at 3:46, 14-14, when Anna Iannotti (North Bennington, Vt.) connected on her only bucket of the contest. Two more freebies by Sugars put Colby-Sawyer back on top, but the Spartans ended the frame on a 5-0 run to take a 19-16 lead after 20 minutes. Castleton received eight points off the bench in the quarter and held Colby-Sawyer to 0-for-11 from the floor.

The scoring picked up in the third quarter with each team making four baskets. Wainwright hit a jumper to pull within one to begin the stanza, but Castleton's Brooke Raiche gave Castleton a three-point lead again with a layup. Tianna Sugars then made a jumper and converted all three free throws, after getting fouled beyond the arc, to put the Chargers back on top 23-21. Two minutes later, a Kristen Donaghey trey gave Colby-Sawyer its largest lead of the game 28-21 midway through the quarter. Castleton closed the quarter strong including a three-pointer at the buzzer from Raiche to send the game into the fourth tied at 29-29.

The fourth quarter began with five-straight points by Mackenzie Buzzell to give the Charges a 34-29 lead. Castleton had the answer with a trey from Medic to tie the game with 7:08 on the clock. A Raiche free throw and another Medic trey put the Spartans up for good with 5:03 to play. The Chargers pulled within a pair with a Buzzell layup with four seconds left, but the game would end 43-41 in favor of Castleton.

Castleton outrebounded the Chargers 41-28. Colby-Sawyer kept the game close throughout with good free throw shooting, making 11-of-13 attempts.

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