The Spartans started off a bit slow as the Seahawks got out to a quick 5-2 lead just 3:23 into the game. The Spartans came back to take an 11-9 lead on a Nate Fry three with 13:35 left in the half. St. Mary’s responded with a Tyson Lesesne triple to take a 12-11 lead, their last lead of the game. Freshman Quinn Howard hit a bucket to get the Spartans started on a 12-2 run that gave the green and white a 25-14 lead with 7:34 remaining in the stanza. St. Mary’s cut the lead to three at 25-22 on a Calvin Wise fast break lay-up with 6:02 showing on the clock. The Spartans ended the half scoring 14 of the final 19 points, taking a 39-27 advantage to the break.
The Seahawks came out of the intermission determined to cut into the Spartan lead as they scored the first six points of the half, cutting the York lead to 39-33 just 2:59 into the second half. York pushed the lead back to ten points and the Spartan advantage wavered between seven and ten points until the hosts cut the lead to five at 53-48. That began a four minute stretch where the Spartan lead went back and forth between five and seven points. York started to pull away thanks to a 15-3 spurt that turned a 59-54 lead into a 74-57 bulge. The York lead would not fall below 14 the rest of the way.
The Spartans received a game-high 28 points from sophomore Chad McGowan. McGowan continues to be a force for the Spartans as he was 12-for-22 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while he also pulled down six rebounds and collected three steals in 29 minutes. Senior Brandon Bushey also played well as he had 15 points and four rebounds in the win. Bushey was 6-for-10 from the floor and 3-for-7 from downtown. Senior Kenny Fass added 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals off the bench for the Spartans. Senior Paddy Lee chipped in with eight points, six boards, and three assists.
Lesesne, the leading scorer in the Capital Athletic Conference, tallied 19 points and three assists for the Seahawks. Lesesne was 7-for-16 from the floor including 3-for-6 from three. He nailed his two free throws as York held him to almost three points under his season average. T.J. Jordan added 17 points, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and two assists to the St. Mary’s attack. Jordan went a hot 5-for-9 from three but overall made just 6-of-15 from the floor. Valdez Preston was the third Seahawk in double figures with 12 points as he was 4-for-7 from three for the game. Dan Engelstad notched a game-high 10 assists in addition to scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds.
The Spartans out-rebounded the Seahawks 37-24 and York held a 16-6 edge in second chance points. York finished the game with a 44-22 bulge in points in the paint as the green and white finished the game shooting 55.9% from the floor including a 58.1% mark in the second half. St. Mary’s finished the contest shooting 41.4% from the field but did convert 46.2% (12-for-26) of their attempts from distance. York shot 83.3% (10-for-12) from the stripe while St. Mary’s went just 4-for-6 (66.7%) from the line for the game.
York returns to action on Wednesday when they play the final regular season game in the history of Wolf Gym against Gallaudet. The four Spartan seniors will be honored prior to the 8:00 pm tip. York will try to extend Division III men’s basketball longest active home court win streak on Wednesday as York carries a 29-game streak into the contest.
York (Pa.) vs St. Mary's (Md.) 2/11/06 4:00 pm at St. Mary's City, MD - ARC Arena At St. Mary's City, MD - ARC Arena YORK (PA.) 83, ST. MARY'S (MD.) 64 YORK (PA.) (21-2, 10-2 CAC) Chad McGowan 12-22 4-6 28; Brandon Bushey 6-10 0-0 15; Kenny Fass 4-8 0-0 10; Paddy Lee 3-3 2-2 8; Nate Fry 3-3 0-0 8; Quinn Howard 2-2 2-2 6; Brian Singer 2-5 2-2 6; Brad Zerfing 1-5 0-0 2; Pat Kelley 0-0 0-0 0; Pat D'Arcy 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Folland 0-0 0-0 0; Mike Riley 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Yeck 0-1 0-0 0; Shane Beccio 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-59 10-12 83. ST. MARY'S (MD.) (8-14, 3-9 CAC) Tyson Lesesne 7-16 2-2 19; T.J. Jordan 6-15 0-0 17; Valdez Preston 4-8 0-0 12; Calvin Wise 4-9 1-2 9; Dan Engelstad 3-8 1-2 7; Tommy Bushell 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Moderacki 0-0 0-0 0; Ryan Carr 0-1 0-0 0; Dino Vilson 0-0 0-0 0; Kyle Sullivan 0-1 0-0 0; Thomas Cosgrove 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-58 4-6 64. York (Pa.).................... 39 44 - 83 St. Mary's (Md.).............. 27 37 - 64 3-point goals-York (Pa.) 7-17 (Brandon Bushey 3-7; Kenny Fass 2-4; Nate Fry 2-2; Brad Zerfing 0-1; Chad McGowan 0-3), St. Mary's (Md.) 12-26 (T.J. Jordan 5-9; Valdez Preston 4-7; Tyson Lesesne 3-6; Ryan Carr 0-1; Kyle Sullivan 0-1; Dan Engelstad 0-2). Fouled out--York (Pa.)-None, St. Mary's (Md.)-Tyson Lesesne. Rebounds-York (Pa.) 37 (Paddy Lee 6; Chad McGowan 6), St. Mary's (Md.) 24 (Calvin Wise 6). Assists-York (Pa.) 16 (Joe Yeck 4), St. Mary's (Md.) 16 (Dan Engelstad 10). Total fouls-York (Pa.) 10, St. Mary's (Md.) 15. A-218 The Spartans win their eighth straight contest as they are ranked eighth in the nation according to d3hoops.com. York returns to action on Wednesday when they host Gallaudet in a CAC contest. Tip time is set for 8:00 pm at Wolf Gym. ------------------------------------------------------------------------