CASTLETON, Vt. – Maine Maritime Academy women's basketball fell to Castleton 52-35, on Saturday afternoon in North Atlantic Conference play.

Castleton jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the opening six minutes but the Mariners pulled back within four at 11:54 on a Maggie McConkey (Fryeburg, Maine) layup. Lindsay Sabo hit a triple on the ensuing possession, sparking an 11-2 run to give the Spartans a 24-11 advantage with 3:41 left in the half. The Mariners ended the period on an 8-4 run, with threes from Mary Badeen (Newport, Maine) and Kristi Willey (Topsham, Maine) and a jumper from Jillian Perron (Skowhegan, Maine), to trail only 28-19 at the break.

The teams traded hoops to open the second half before back-to-back buckets put the Spartans up 36-23 at 14:38. The Spartan lead didn't drop below 11 over the next nine minutes and an offensive rebound and layup by Sabo put the Spartans in front 45-28 with 5:38 left. Seven straight by the Mariners cut the lead to 45-35 with 2:46 left, but Castleton held on to secure the victory.

Badeen led the Mariners with a game-high 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist, while Perron grabbed eight points, seven rebounds and a block.

The Spartans were led by Meghan O'Sullivan who picked up a double-double on the afternoon with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Sabo ended the afternoon with a team-leading 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jade Desroches grabbed 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal.

With the loss, the Mariners fall to 8-11 overall and 5-7 in North Atlantic Conference play, while the Spartans improve to 15-4 overall and 11-1 in the conference.

Maine Maritime returns to action next weekend when they host Colby-Sawyer on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and New England College on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.