CASTLETON, Vt. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team connected on eight of ten field goals after Castleton University had wiped out an 11-point deficit to tie the game early in the fourth quarter as the Warriors posted a 56-43 Little East Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
 
Limited to eight points in the third quarter, Eastern (10-4, 4-1 LEC) closed out the game with a 19-point fourth quarter to win its sixth game in the last seven this year, hand Castleton (9-4, 2-2 LEC) only its second home loss in seven games this year and hold the Spartans to a season-low point total.
 
In the fourth quarter, Eastern was 8-of-12 from the floor and turned the ball over only three times en route to its ninth win over Castleton in the ten-game series. Senior All-America Anna Barry (Andover) was limited to a season-low 20 minutes due to foul trouble, but scored ten of her 17 points and grabbed six of her 11 rebounds (her ninth double-double of the season, sixth straight) when Eastern outscored the Spartans by 11 points in the fourth quarter. Barry was 4-of-4 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe over those final ten minutes. Senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) contributed a three-point field and two assists in the fourth.

 

In the game, the Warriors received major contributions from senior forward Mariah Dunn (Meriden) in a starting role and from sophomore forward Taylor Salato (East Haven) and sophomore guard Kya Mayo (Middletown) off the bench.
 
Dunn had 12 points (6-of-12 FG) and six rebounds in 36 minutes. With Barry picking up her  second personal foul late in the first quarter and third midway through the third quarter, Salato came on to score 14 points (7-of-13 FG) and grab six rebounds in 23 minutes (her most minutes since Nov. 22). In a season-high 26 minutes, Mayo chipped in four points and blocked two shots.

Salato replaced Barry for the first time with Eastern leading by two with 1:38 left in the first quarter. With the Warriors up by one, Mayo then swished a long jumper with 40 seconds left in the quarter, and Salato grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back just before the horn to give Eastern a five-point cushion, 16-11, heading into the second quarter. Barry was slapped with her third foul and was lifted again with Eastern leading by seven, 31-24 two minutes into the third quarter, and Salato returned and responded with a pair of buckets -- a 15-footer and the putback of her own miss that added a point to the lead (37-29) with two minutes left in the quarter. A rested Barry started the fourth quarter and scored twice in 40 seconds to break the tie and make it 41-37, but Salato was back in moments later after Barry was assessed her fourth foul two minutes into the final quarter. At that point, Dunn converted a shot in the paint and Salato sank another 15-footer just before a media timeout to fuel Eastern's decisive 8-0 run that made it 49-39 and made the remaining three minutes all but academic.
 
Eastern never trailed after the midway point of the first quarter, but Castleton used an 8-2 scoring run to close out the third quarter and pull to within two points entering the fourth. Gwyn Tatton scored her only basket of the game on the first possession of the fourth quarter to tie the game for Castleton, but Barry grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in off a Spartan blocked shot, and then sank a jumper from the right side off a feed from Keckler less than a minute later as Eastern regained the lead for good, 41-37, two minutes into the final quarter. Dunn also dropped in two hoops in the paint and found Barry for a jumper over the next several minutes as Eastern pushed the lead back to double digits, 49-39, with three minutes left.
 
Graduate guard Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA) chipped in six assists and grabbed four rebounds.
 
Castleton shot just 26.7 percent from the floor (2-of-16 from distance). The Spartans got a double-double from 6-foot-1 inch sophomore forward Liz Bailey, who had 14 points, ten rebounds and three blocks (giving her 24 this year). Senior guard Elise Magro matched Barry with 11 rebounds to go along with eight points (4-of-22 FG), four assists and three steals.
 
Eastern hosts Keene State College in a conference game Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Owls (3-8, 1-4 LEC) have lost three straight and are coming off a 43-40 LEC home loss to Western Connecticut State University Saturday. Eastern has won the last eight and ten of the last 12 against Keene, which is 0-6 away from Spaulding Gymnasium this year.