PLYMOUTH — A year ago, Plymouth State University defeated Castleton State College by 49 points on the road. Last night, the Panthers hosted a very different and determined Spartan squad.
PSU used a 16-4 run to start the second half and then held off an upset-minded Castleton squad by scoring a 76-59 victory in nonconference action at Foley Gym. PSU upped its season record to 3-1 while the tough-luck Spartans fell to 2-2.
Plymouth State turned its slim 35-34 halftime lead into a 51-38 advantage after Tom Dowd hit a jumper in the lane. PSU did not allow the Spartans to get any closer than seven points the rest of the way.
"For three days I've been telling our guys this would be tough one," said Panther head coach John Scheinman. "I guess it's tough to convince college kids, especially after last year's game at their place. They (CSC) came out the aggressor and took it to us in every facet of the game."
Castleton, under the direction of first-year head coach Paul Culpo, came out fired up and jumped to a 14-6 lead following a 3-ball from David Cochrane. The Spartan defense had PSU dazed and confused for the first 10 minutes of the contest, using a combination of traps and double-teams against some of the Panther's premier players.
The Panthers made the proper adjustments, however, and staged a comeback by going on a 13-6 run and grabbing their first lead, 19-18, on a Jason O'Keefe jumper with just over seven minutes to play in the half.
Castleton recaptured the advantage three minutes later, going up 29-23 after a pair of free throws by Jared Paul. PSU reeled in the Spartans over the final two minutes and took the one-point lead into the break after an O'Keefe lay-in as time expired.
"We kept our composure," said Panther senior Mike Chergey. "We had to handle their pressure and we kept moving the ball and finding the open man. They (CSC) are a good team and games like this give us a good indication on how we handle situations. Tonight we were tested but we executed the way we know how to and got the win."
The loudest applause of the evening in Foley Gym was for former Moultonborough star Kevin Eisenberg, who now prowls the court for Castleton. Eisenberg, who led the Panthers to the Class S championship last winter, did not disappoint his large following, hitting the second jump shot he attempted and finishing the contest with four points and three steals.
PSU reestablished its double-digit lead (60-48) with 6:35 to play after O'Keefe drained a 3-ball and the Panthers cemented the win by hitting 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch.
"It's tough because I am new and our kids are young," explained Culpo. "If you take away the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, we are right there. You just can't have those types of breakdowns and expect to win against a good team. I told my kids don't be satisfied. I respect Plymouth but I don't think my kids believed they could beat the kids with the other shirts on tonight. The key was that they made plays when they needed them and we didn't."
Plymouth shot 14 of 16 from the charity stripe and held a slight 34-30 rebounding edge over the Spartans. CSC on shot 37 percent from the floor (11-30) in the second half, including a paltry 1 of 11 from behind the arc.
Castleton was led by Jared Paul and Derrick Faragon who had 13 and 12 points, respectively. Paul was an impressive 10-11 from the line while Faragon hauled in a team-high seven rebounds.
The Panthers placed five players in double-figures including O'Keefe's game-high 21 points. Chergey and Dowd each dropped in 14 points while Eric Hondal and Ryan Lambert added 10 apiece. Hondal added seven assists and Chergey led PSU on the boards with seven caroms.
"I'm happy at 3-1," Scheinman said. "I still think we need to get better and I think our point guard play will dictate how good we can be. I was happy with the way we came out and became the aggressive team in the second half tonight and this is a win that we can build on."
PSU will continue its five-game home stand on Thursday, December 3rd, when it hosts nonconference foe Salem State.
