CASTINE, Maine — Maine Maritime's women's basketball team battled hard but came up short in a 61-51 loss to Colby on Tuesday night at Smith Gymnasium.

After jumping out to an early lead, Maine Maritime (11-6) saw Colby (11-5) close the first quarter behind a balanced attack and then take control in the second with a decisive 24-6 run that pushed the margin into double figures by halftime.

Maine Maritime was paced by senior Jacquelin Castro, who scored a team-high 18 points and knocked down 10 of 12 free throw attempts, while sophomore Addison Forry added nine points and hauled in a team-best 11 rebounds. The Mariners also got contributions from junior's Laney Lyle and Hailey Blanchard, but couldn't close the gap despite outscoring Colby in the fourth quarter.

Maine Maritime will travel on the road Friday to face the University of Maine at Presque Isle with tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m. as they look to rebound and continue their strong conference campaign.