Lyndonville, VT - Vermont State University Lyndon's women's basketball team dug themselves a big early hole and never climbed out, falling to North Atlantic Conference co-leader Maine Maritime Acadely, 90-49, on Friday evening.  The Mariners improved to 15-8 overall and 14-2 in conference play, while the Hornets fell to 13-8 on the season and 8-6 in the NAC.

Despite the loss, the Hornets clinched a berth in the North Atlantic Conference championship tournament by virtue of the University of Maine at Farmington's win over Vermont State University Johnson on Friday evening.  Tournament details will be released following the conclusion of the regular season on February 14th.

Maine Maritime used a 14-0 run to turn an early 7-5 Lyndon lead into a 19-7 Mariner advantage late in the opening quarter.  The Mariners continued to pull away in the second quarter, running out to a 44-15 halftime lead.  Lyndon was never able to seriously challenge in the second half, as Maine Maritime cruised to the victory.

The Mariners were led by Jacquelin Castro, who scored a game-high 15 points while also pulling down seven rebounds.  Rylee Smith came off the bench to chip in 14 points.  Addison Forry provided a strong presence in the paint with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Grace Huntwork finished with 11 points and went 3/6 from beyond the arc.

For the Hornets, Kiara Mack (Milton, VT) paced the team with eight points and seven rebounds. Ella Huntington (Taylorsville, UT) followed with seven points.

The Hornets will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they face the NAC's other co-leader, the University of Maine at Farmington.  Tip-off in Stannard Gymnasium is scheduled for 3:00 pm.