PLYMOUTH – The Plymouth State Women’s Basketball team is off to its best start in four years, staying undefeated with a 68-57 win last Tuesday against Castleton State.
The win gives the Panthers their first 3-0 start since the 2001-02 season, when they opened with seven straight victories. Juniors Ashley White and Colleen Mahoney led Plymouth with 14 points apiece, while junior Kaitlin Linehan picked up 12 points and seven rebounds. The Spartans got 21 points from junior Jenn Whiting, while junior Carrie Black scored 12 points and three blocks in the losing effort.
Play was dominated by rallies on both sides. The Spartans opened with a 4-0 lead before Plymouth State reached the board, scoring six straight points to regain control at 6-4. Castleton State answered back with a 10-1 rally to make it 14-7 eight minutes into the half, but the Panthers rectified the deficit with their own 11-0 rally to go up 18-14 with just under nine minutes to play. The Spartans managed to bring the game within one as late as the final five minutes of the half, but free throws from freshman Kayla Morin and senior Katie Susat helped give Plymouth State a 26-24 lead at the break.
The Panthers opened the second half with another bucket from Linehan, but the Spartans wasted little time charging back. Senior Elizabeth O’Rourke hit a three-pointer two minutes in to give Castleton State a 29-28 lead, and Whiting added a pair of threes to cap a 13-3 run and put the Spartans back up by six.
The Spartans still led 41-35 over a minute later when the Panthers finally bust the game open. Led by Morin, Susat and junior Heather Thomas, Plymouth State launched a 17-2 rally over the next seven minutes to put the Panthers up 52-43 with just under seven minutes to play. Castleton State fought back to within four, but threes from Morin and White sparked another 8-0 rally for Plymouth, dashing any chance of a comeback for the visitors. White closed out Panther scoring with two points in the final minute, while Whiting gave the Spartans one final layup as time expired to give Plymouth State an eleven-point victory.
Castleton State’s 18 fouls proved costly in the end, leading to 26 Panther free throws. Plymouth State surrendered just five foul shots to the Spartans, ultimately outscoring them 20-4 from the line. The Panthers also bested Castleton State in rebounds and steals, while committing less turnovers despite a deeper passing game.
Plymouth State played two more games this past week, falling to Colby-Sawyer on Tuesday before returning home to play Salem State on Thursday. They open their conference schedule tomorrow against Western Connecticut before hosting Middlebury next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.