Leading by just one point early in the second half, the Spartans took control behind some clutch shooting from downtown, earning a 67-54 victory over Johnson St. on Tuesday evening in Glenbrook Gym.
Senior Doug Krouse scored all of his career-high 11 points in the second half and went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to help Castleton put the game away as part of a 17-2 run in the second half. Castleton shot 42.4 percent for the game and outrebounded the Badgers 41-35 to improve to 5-7 and 3-3 in conference play. Johnson St. shot just 38.3 percent and went 4-for-21 from beyond the arc to fall to 1-12 and 1-6 in the NAC.
Krouse was one of five players to score in double figures on the night. Freshman Pavin Parrish recorded his first career double-double with 12 points, ten assists and three rebounds while Rob Coloutti scored a team-high 15 points, including five shots from beyond the arc. Copeland added 10 points and 12 boards while Tondi Mushandu was solid with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Asim Khan had the hot hand for the Badgers, shooting 7-for-12 and finishing with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists. Cory Chase was also in double figures with 13 points and six rebounds. Greg Davis dished off a team-high seven assists and scored three points while Demetrius Slade recorded his second double-double of the season notching 13 points and pulling down ten rebounds.
Carnelius Green led off the scoring with a bucket but Johnson St. countered, eventually scoring ten straight early to pull in front of Castleton 19-6 on a three from Khan at 11:49. Parrish ended the run with a pair of free throws but the Badgers then extended their lead to 23-12 on a layup by Chase with 6:48 remaining.
Trailing by nine with 5:30 left, the Spartans finally got hot with seven straight points to make it a two-point game a minute later. Demetrius Slade ended the run but Parrish responded with a jumper and Coloutti drilled a three for the 28-27 lead at 3:21. Coloutti hit two more shots from beyond the arc to help put Castleton in front 34-29 at the break.
Johnson St. opened the half on an 8-4 run over the first four minutes to close the gap to 38-37 on a fastbreak layup by Khan. Coloutti connected on a triple to push the lead to 41-37 but a Slade free throw at 12:36 cut the deficit to three, 45-42.
Krouse gave the Spartans some breathing room on a three from the corner and Parrish followed with a layup for the eight-point lead. Four straight by the Badgers made it 50-46 with 9:10 left, before another Krouse triple jumpstarted 17-2 run to put the game out of reach. A pair of late Slade buckets provided the 15-point final margin.
Castleton returns to action on Saturday when the team travels to play Lyndon at 1 pm while Johnson hosts Green Mountain College on Saturday for a 1:00pm tip.