WESTFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore forward Meghan O'Sullivan (North Merrick, N.Y.) poured in 28 points and junior guard Alyssa Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Castleton State College to a 64-51 victory over Regis College in the opening round of the Westfield State University Women's Basketball Tip-Off Tournament.
Castleton will play the host school in Saturday's championship game at 3:00 p.m., as Westfield defeated Drew University in the other first-day game, 56-40. Drew and Regis square off in Saturday's 1:00 p.m. consolation game.
The 6-foot O'Sullivan was nearly unstoppable as she was 11-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from the foul line in scoring 28 points in 28 minutes of action.
Leonard posted game highs of 11 boards and four steals. Leonard was 7-for-8 from the charity stripe as the Spartans held a huge edge in free throws going 18-for-25 while Regis was 6-for-12.
The teams traded leads and scoring runs before Castleton pulled away in the game's final seven minutes with a 14-3 spurt.
The Spartans jumped out to a 13-2 lead to start the game then Regis battled back to take a 21-20 lead on Emilee Marro's (Bedford, N.H.) three-point basket with 7:13 left in the first half.
The Pride led by three points, 30-27, on a Marro layup at the 2:42 mark, but a Leonard jumper and two free throws by O'Sullivan gave the Spartans a 31-30 halftime lead.
Regis took its final lead, 38-37, on a Nikki Strizzi (Old Lyme, Conn.) three-pointer at the 16:11 mark, then Castleton took the lead for good, 40-38, on a three-point bucket by O'Sullivan nearly four minutes later.
Holding a 50-48 advantage with 7:19 remaining, the Spartans pulled away in the closing minutes on the strength of their size and depth.
Castleton won the battle of the boards, 44-31, and shot 42 percent from the field. Regis shot 35 percent from the floor, including a 5-for-16 effort from beyond the arc.
Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) led the Pride with 15 points and Marro finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Release courtesy of Westfield State University Sports Information