DANBURY, Conn. - Five Western Connecticut State University players scored in double figures, as the host Wolves overcame a 14-3 deficit and earned a 97-64 victory over the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans in Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball action this afternoon at Feldman Arena. WestConn improves to 16-4 overall and 9-2 in the Little East with its third victory in a row, and will visit conference foe Eastern Connecticut next on Wednesday, January 31 at 5 p.m.  Castleton drops to 6-14 overall and 2-8 in the league.  Grad student Jaheim Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced the Wolves with 17 points.

Castleton raced to a 14-3 lead in the first 5:30 of the game and led for almost 12 minutes until Young capped off an 11-4 run by the Wolves with a three-pointer to make the score, 22-22, at the 8:05 mark of the first half.  Scott Lampron answered with a trey for the Spartans but a traditional three-point play by junior forward Jourdan Belcher (Elsmford, N.Y.) and a put-back by grad student Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) propelled WestConn to a 29-26 lead with five minutes remaining before the break.  The Wolves took command with a 19-4 rally late in the first half that was started by back-to-back triples by sophomore Jaysean Morgan (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and went into halftime with a 51-37 lead.

Castleton cut its deficit to 10 points for the last time 3:15 into the second stanza on a three-pointer by Zach Thompson, but WestConn used a 19-2 run to put the game away early.  The Wolves shot 52.1 percent from the field (38-73) and forced 26 turnovers while committing just 10.  Belcher and fellow junior forward Cameron Gallon (York, Pa.) scored 13 points apiece, while senior forward James Rhodes (Tarrytown, N.Y.) had 12 points and Stokes finished with 11.  Rhodes also had a game-high eight rebounds and classmate Jeremiah Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) dished eight assists.  Castleton's Joe Russell led all scorers with 20 points and Thompson added 11 points for the visitors.