ANNVILLE, PA – The York College men's basketball late-season surge continued on Saturday as they defeated Lebanon Valley 82-72 in MAC Commonwealth action from Annville, PA.
The Spartans have now won five of their last six as they continue to climb up from their 1-6 Commonwealth start. York placed four in double figures paced by Kai Cipalla's 22 points and eight rebounds.
York improves to 12-10 for the season and 6-7 in the league as they continue to chase down a coveted Commonwealth play-off spot. The Dutchmen fall to 6-15 overall and 4-8 in the league.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans couldn't have gotten off to a better start as they began the game on a 15-2 run. Kai Cipalla led the way on the run with eight points and six rebounds while Jackson Mascari added five points for the Spartans. York was 6-for-11 from the floor while they held the Dutchmen were just 1-for-8 from the field with a pair of turnovers.
• After a timeout, the Dutchmen responded with a 14-3 run of their own, trimming the once sizable York lead down to two at 18-16. LVC went 5-for-6 from the floor during the run including a blistering 4-for-5 from distance. York built the lead back to six but a 15-4 LVC run gave the hosts a 31-26 lead with 3:30 left in the highly entertaining first half.
• The Spartans ended the half strong with a 12-4 spurt as they went 4-for-4 from three to take a 38-35 lead to the intermission. York allowed LVC to shoot 50% from the field in the opening half while they went 14-for-33 (42.4%). Both teams were good from distance as LVC was 7-for-11 (63.6%) while York was 6-for-14 (42.9%) including four straight to end the half. York crushed the Dutchmen on the glass in the first half as they held a 23-11 margin on the glass including 9-1 on the offensive end.
• The Spartans came out of the break with another strong start, hitting the Dutchmen with a 14-5 run to push out to a 52-40 lead with 16:15 left in the game. That would prove to be the largest lead of the half and the second biggest lead of the game (13 points). Cipalla led the way with five while Mascari chipped in with four points. York was 5-for-7 from the floor, 1-for-2 from three and 3-for-3 from the line.
• The Spartans maintained the lead between seven and ten points over the next ten minutes of play. The Dutchmen finally trimmed the York lead under six as five straight points cut the Spartan lead to 67-61 on an Antonio Redding jumper with 5:30 left in the game.  York scored eight of the next 12 points after the Redding bucket to take a 75-65 lead with just over three minutes remaining. The Spartans made enough plays at the end of the end of the game and would cruise to the comfortable 10-point win from there.
 
By the Numbers
York finished the game shooting 46.7% (28-for-60) from the floor while the Dutchmen cooled in the second half to shoot 48.1% (25-for-52) from the field … both teams made ten three pointers in the game … the Spartans went 16-for-19 (84.2%) from the free throw line while LVC was 12-for-16 … York held a 36-28 margin on the glass including 11-5 on the offensive end … York forced 15 LVC turnovers which they converted into 22 points … York outscored their hosts 30-22 in the paint … Antonio Redding led the way for the Dutchmen as he poured in 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in his 32 minutes … Collin Jones added 21 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot … no other Dutchmen had more than eight points.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans snap a three-game losing streak against Lebanon Valley and split the final season season between the two as conference opponents ... the Dutchmen head to the MAC Freedom next season … LVC owns an 11-9 overall lead in the series … York is now 6-4 on the road with two of their final three regular season games coming away from Wolf Gymnasium … York has won five of their last six … York eclipsed the 80 point plateau for the fifth time this year and the third time in conference play … York reached double figures in three-pointers made for the eighth time this year but just the second time in ten games … York committed just ten turnovers in the win while they had 14 assists in the victory … the Spartans just missed out on double figures in steals as they finished with nine fhefts or the game … sophomore Kai Cipalla led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds, and one assist in 29 minutes of play … Cipalla was 10-for-17 from the floor including 2-for-4 from three … junior Chris Miers continued his strong play with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists a blocked shot and a steal in 30 minutes … Miers missed a free throw for the first time in five games as he had made 17 straight entering Saturday … sophomore Jackson Mascari chipped in with 13 points in addition to pulling in a team-high nine rebounds while he also handed out four assists … freshman Jayden Rowe was the fourth Spartan in double figures with 12 points … Rowe also had three rebounds, three assists and three steals … senior Sean Kelly pulled in six rebounds and added six points for York.
 
Up Next
The Spartans stay on the road on Wednesday evening when they head to Stevenson for another important MAC Commonwealth contest. Tip time in Owings Mills is set for 6:00 pm. The Mustangs won the season's first match up 53-45 on January 11 in York.