YORK, PA – The red-hot York College men's basketball team had their three-game winning streak snapped by Hood College 80-72 in MAC Commonwealth play on Tuesday evening.
The first half featured offensive fireworks from both teams while the second stanza was played at a less robust tempo.
The Spartans fall to 13-11 overall and 7-8 in the MAC Commonwealth. York had won three straight and six of their last seven coming into the game. The Blazers, who have already qualified for the MAC Commonwealth tournament, improve to 15-9 overall and 9-6 in the league.
 
How It Happened
• The game was back and forth early as there were two ties, the second coming on a Kai Cipalla jumper in the lane just under three minutes into the game. That bucket kick started an impressive 24-2 run that gave the Spartans a 29-9 advantage midway through the half.
• The Blazers were undeterred as they mounted a huge run of their own. Hood fashioned a 24-3 run as they took a 33-32 lead on a Christopher Smalls lay-up with 3:38 left in the opening half. The Blazers went 9-for-11 from the floor including 3-of-3 from three and 3-of-4 from the line while they also had five steals during the run.
• Each team scored seven points over the final three minutes of the half as the Blazers took a 40-39 lead to the break. The Blazers finished the first half shooting 48.4% from the floor while the Spartans converted just 42.3% from the floor. York had a huge edge at the free throw line as York was 11-for-14 while Hood was 5-for-6.
• The start of the second half mirrored the start of the game as the play was back and forth. There were five ties and nine lead changes in the opening 8:31 of the second half. The fourth tie came at 51 on a pair of Cipalla free throws. Ater a Will Spencer three-point play but the Blazers up three, York scored six straight points for the 57-54 lead. Trumaine Strickland cashed out a three to tie the game for the final time at 57. That three kick started a 9-0 Hood run that gave the Blazers a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
• York got to within four three times before a Johnny Kennevan drained a three, cutting the Blazer lead to 69-66 with 2:17 left. The Spartans wouldn't get any closer as the Blazers scored 11 of the final 17 points of the game.
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 39% (23-for-59) from the field while Hood converted 44.6% of their opportunities from the field … York went just 8-for-33 from three including 2-for-17 in the second half … the Spartans finished 18-for-26 (69.2%) from the stripe while Hood was a blistering 15-for-18 … Hood held a slight 38-37 edge on the glass while York had a 22-16 margin in second chance points … Trumaine Strickland came off the bench to lead the Blazers as he had 22 points in 21 minutes of action … Christopher Smalls added 14 points and seven assists while Garrison Linton chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
Spartan Notes
The win enables Hood to split the season series with the road time winning each match up … the Spartans lead the all-time series 10-7 … Kai Cipalla had another big night as he poured in a game-high 25 points … Cipalla was 9-for-14 from the floor and a 7-for-7 from the line … he added seven rebounds and a blocked shot … Cipalla went over 20 points for the fourth time this year while he has been in double figures in 17 contests … Chris Miers was the other Spartan in double figures with 14 points … Miers also had six rebounds, a steal and an assist …. sophomore Jackson Mascari chipped in with eighth points, four rebounds, and six assists … the Spartan defense had a season-high six blocked shots led by Jayden Rowe's two.
 
Up Next
The Spartans head to Widener for the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans are hoping to secure the final conference tournament seed for next week's tournament. The scenario is simple for the Green and White. A win in Chester gets them in. A loss combined with a Stevenson win over Eastern keeps them out. If York suffers a loss and Stevenson loses to Eastern, the Spartans earn the fifth seed. Tip time in Chester is set for 3:00 pm.