CASTLETON, Vermont  –  Kelly Vuz scored a game-high 22 points, making 5-of-11 from three-point range, to lead the fourth seed Castleton University Spartans to a 70-54 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tuesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium. 
 
Vuz was one of three Spartans in double figures, adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals.  Elise Magro added 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Liz Bailey rounded out the double-digit scoring with 14 points and six rebounds.
 
Sophomore guard Maria Degifico (South Portland, Maine) led the Huskies with a career-best 16 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the floor, including a 2-for-3 effort from three-point range.  The Huskies' guard added four assists, three rebounds and a steal.  Junior Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) tossed in 15 points, and junior Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H./Manchester West) added eight points, five rebounds, and three assists.
 
 
The Records:
No. 5 Southern Maine (8-18, 6-10 Little East)
No. 4 Castleton (17-9, 9-7 Little East)
 
Series History:
Meeting for the 11^th time in series history, Castleton leads Southern Maine 7-4 all-time. The Spartans won both regular season games (64-47, 57-54) in the 2022-23 season.  The Huskies last defeated Castleton December 11, 2021 at Castleton 71-64 in overtime.
 
How It Happened:

• Degifico scored eight points in the first quarter as the Huskies raced out to a 17-8 lead.  Freshman Vanessa Vaughan (Hantsport, Nova Scotia/King's Edge Hill) gave the Huskies their largest lead at the 2:04 mark of the first quarter before Castleton scored eight unanswered, including back-to-back threes from Vuz to make it 17-16.
• Castleton used a big second quarter outscoring USM 20-12 to create some distance and lead 36-29 at the break.  Magro scored eight of her 20 points in the second quarter for the Spartans going 3-for-4 from the field, including a 2-for-2 mark from three.
• The Spartans opened up an 11ppoint lead 42-31 early in the third on a free throw from Bailey, before the Huskies cut into the lead to trail by seven, 45-38, on a three from Ramsdell with 5:56 to play off of a feed from Degifico. It was as close as USM would get in the quarter as Castleton led 52-42 on a layup from Emily Adams headed into the fourth.
• Junior Ashlee Aceto (South Portland, Maine) and Vaughan brought USM to within eight twice in the fourth quarter, with Vaughan making it a 54-46 game with 9:06 to play, but Castleton answered each Husky basket the rest of the way, closing the game with two free throws from Magro for the 70-57 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Both teams were even in rebounds with Castleton taking the slight edge 37-36. The Huskies led on offensive boards 12-10 with Degifico, Gould and Aceto each snagging two.
• Castleton shot 42.4 percent (25-for-49) from the field and 38.1 percent (8-for-21) from three.  The Huskies shot 37.3 percent (22-for-59) and 37.5 percent (6-for-16) from three.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine concludes its 2022-23 season.