Box Score CASTLETON, Vt. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team shot 18 percent from three-point range in closing out its losingest season in 14 years with a 69-59 Little East Conference loss to Castleton University Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Since its last losing season in 2008-09, Eastern (10-15, 6-10 LEC) had posted nine 20-win seasons in ten years and had won or shared seven LEC regular-season championships.
Picked to win the LEC in the coaches' pre-season poll this year, Eastern finished in a tie for seventh in the nine-team conference only ahead of Castleton (4-21, 3-13 LEC), which is 3-29 in two years in the Little East. Eastern had beaten Castleton, 72-46, when the teams exactly one month ago at Geissler Gymnasium (Castleton finished 0-11 on its opponent's court this year).
Senior forward Jake McCarthy (Berlin) closed out his career with a team-high 14 points – his fourth double-figure game in his final six. Sophomore forward Seth Thomas (Norwich) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for Eastern, which lost its last five road games.
The Warriors shot 35.7 percent from the floor including 18 percent (6-of-34) from three-point range.
Casey Belade led the Spartans with a game-high 24 points and Demauriaye Smith added nine rebounds.
