Gallaudet netted the contest’s opening basket when junior forward Bradley Miller hit a short jumper. The visitors answered with authority, shooting a blistering 70.8% (17-for-24) in the first half en route to a 48-34 halftime lead, and setting up yet another Bison second half comeback.
The hosts slowly chipped away at the advantage, cutting the deficit to 65-61 when rookie guard Sekoe White – who quietly registered a career-high 22 points – connected from the baseline midway through the second stanza. The crowd came to its feet when Jackson picked a pass and hit a streaking Matthew Johnson for a fast break layup, giving Gallaudet a 73-72 lead.
The teams traded hoops before York jumped out to an 80-75 advantage when junior center Brian Singer converted a three-point play. White then tallied one of his four steals and flew down the court for the uncontested two-handed stuff, setting the score at 82-80 with 46 seconds remaining on the clock. York came out of a timeout and nearly coughed the ball up, however, junior forward Kenny Fass gathered the loose rock for an easy layup, making it 84-80 with 16 ticks left. York junior guard Brandon Bushey stroked a pair from the charity stripe, in essence sealing the win before White netted a jumper from the block at the buzzer, rounding the count out at 86-82.
Gallaudet junior guard Brendan Stern provided a solid punch with 12 points, while junior guard Robert Haney Jr. finished with three points and four dimes in just 18 minutes. Bushey led the Spartans with 20 points, while Fass and Singer added 16 and 13, respectively. With the loss, Gallaudet dropped to 6-18 overall and 1-12 in conference play, while York escapes with a win for the second time and improves to 21-2 and 11-2. The two teams will likely meet in the first round of the CAC Tournament slated to begin on Tuesday.
Gallaudet returns to action for its regular season finale against visiting Catholic on Saturday at 4 p.m.