The men’s basketball team relied on three different players scoring more than 20 points and shooting 50 percent from behind the arc  as they routed New England College 108-74 at Glenbrook Gym on Saturday afternoon.
“They played zone the whole game and our zone offense stepped up,” Head Coach Paul Culpo said. “I was happy that we got everyone in the game as well. They work hard in practice and it’s good to see them getting playing time.”
Logan White and Chad Copeland both led the Spartans with 22 points apiece, while Carnelius Green contributed with 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Tyler Ackley led the team with in assists, dishing out nine and also added in eight points. All 15 players for the Spartans contributed in some way with an assist, rebound or point.
The game started with both teams going back and forth until White hit a three to tie the game at 10. That sparked a 10-0 run for the Spartans and they didn’t look back from there. Ackley, Green and Casey McGraw each hit three- pointers and Copeland hit two free throws to take the lead to double digits. Castleton was up 25-13 with 10:29 remaining in the half.
The Pilgrims went on a 7-0 run to bring the deficit to under 10 points, but the Spartans responded with a 7-0 run of their own to bring the lead back to 12. The biggest lead in the first half for the Spartans was 18 after consecutive lay-ups made by Copeland and Chad Pulver. Going into the half, the Spartans were up 55-45.
“We need to defend better without fouling,” Culpo said. “We have been putting opponents on the line at an alarming rate so we need to work on limiting that.”
The Spartans came out in the second half confident and it showed, starting the half with a 15-7 run capped by a three pointer from White to extend their lead to 18. Castleton continued to hit threes and with nine minutes to go, were up by 27 points. Doug Krouse hit a three to bring the lead to 31. Five minutes later and with one minute to go, the Spartans took their biggest lead of the game and ended up winning 108-74.
“It was a great team win for us,” McGraw said. “Everyone was able to contribute and it was a good win for us.”
The Pilgrims were led by Robin Wilson, who stuffed his stat sheet with a big double-double recording 24 points and 15 rebounds and also contributed with four steals.
The Spartans are back in action on Friday at 5:30 p.m. when they host Maine Maritime.
“We have a big week coming up with three important games,” Culpo said. “So we have to stay focused on that and continue to work hard.”