READING, PA – The York College men's basketball team saw their season-high six game win streak come to an end on Saturday as Alvernia picked up an 89-79 triple overtime win over the Spartans in Reading.
The Spartans had three starters foul out during the game as the Golden Wolves went to the free throw line 20 more times than the Spartans. Alvernia made 13 more free throws than the Spartans in the game, allowing the Wolves to pick up the key league victory.
The Spartans are now 13-8 overall and 6-4 in the league. The Wolves are now 15-6 overall and break the tie for second place as they are 7-3.
 
How It Happened
• Alvernia got off to a good start to the game as the jumped on the Spartans early with a 10-3 lead 3:06 into the game. The Golden Wolves extended the lead to 16-7 on a Robert Mullan three pointer with 12:59 left in the first half. The Spartans put together a 9-3 run over a 3:08 stretch to draw to within three at 19-16 with 9:16 left in the half.
• The two teams went back and forth over the next four minutes. York trimmed the Alvernia lead to 26-24 on a Kai Cipalla lay-up with 6:29 remaining in the half. The Golden Wolves outscored York 11-7 in the final 5:49 of the half as they took a 37-31 lead to the intermission.
• The Golden Wolves had a great shooting first half as they made 58.3% of their attempts from the floor including a 5-for-7 performance from distance. The Spartans shot 48.1% from the field but were just 2-for-11 from three in the opening 20 minutes of play. York had a 15-12 advantage in rebounding while York had five turnovers to four for the Golden Wolves.
• The Spartans burst out of the half with eight straight points to take a 39-37 lead just 2:45 into the second half. The Wolves responded with six straight points of their own to take a 43-39 lead with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game. After a Cipalla thee-point play cut the Alvernia lead to one, the Wolves ripped off eight straight points fueled by a pair of Nigel Cooke threes to push the lead back to seven at 51-45.
• With the Wolves holding a 53-45 lead, the Spartans fashioned a 12-4 run to tie the game at 57 with 5:25 left in the game. The Spartans were 5-for-6 from the floor during the spurt. Alvernia's Mullan answered with four straight points to put the Wolves back up by four with 3:35 left in the game.
• Alvernia took a 63-59 lead on a pair of Jakob Kelly free throws with 2:52 left. Jackson Mascari sliced the lead in half with a lay-up at the 2:35 mark. The teams traded fruitless possessions before Cipalla was fouled with 52 seconds left. He converted both but Kelly answered with a bucket to give the Wolves a two-point advantage with 32 seconds left. Jayden Rowe hit two free throws with 13 seconds left and then got a stop to force overtime.
• It was all Wolves in the start of the first overtime as they scored five points in the first four minutes of the extra session. The Spartans were scoreless until Jackson Mascari drilled a three from the top of the arc to draw York to within two. After a stop, the Spartans tied the game as Cipalla tipped in a missed shot to force a second overtime. Cipalla almost won the game as he stole the Alvernia inbounds pass and heaved the ball towards the basket, the 75-foot shot hit the rim and caromed off as the teams remained tied.
• The second overtime saw the Wolves score the first three points on free throws. Cipalla hit four straight free throws to put York up one with 1:34 left. Nigel Cooke tied the game with 38 seconds left as he split a pair of free throws with 1:20 left. The Spartans got two solid looks from three in the final eight seconds of the second overtime but both attempts couldn't find the mark as the teams headed to a third extra session.
• The Spartans ran out of gas in the third overtime as they were forced to play short-handed by the foul trouble. Alvernia started the overtime with a 10-0 run, essentially ending the game. The Wolves concluded the overtime outscoring York 13-3 as the hosts went 8-for-12 from the stripe during the five-minute period.
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 41.4% from the floor and a chilly 20.7% (6-for-29) from three … the Spartans were sharp from the free throw line as they made 15-of-19 (78.9%) … Alvernia shot 43.3% from the field for the game including 9-of-20 (45%) from three … the Wolves went 28-for-39 (71.8%) from the stripe … York held a slight 43-41 edge on the glass and the Spartans had an 18-6 advantage in second chance points … Alvernia had a 12-2 bulge in fast break points while York had a 42-28 margin in paint points … York was called for 28 personal fouls while the Wolves drew a mere 15 personal fouls … York had 17 turnovers that the Wolves turned into 15 points … Alvernia led for 83.3% (45:48) of the game … there were 20 ties and ten lead changes in the game.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans fall to 6-13 all-time against Alvernia as the Golden Wolves have won 11 straight in the series … the Spartans were whistled for a season-high 28 fouls in the game, five more than they have had in any game this year … the Spartans attempted 10 more shots from the field and made three more field goals than the Wolves … Alvernia nailed nine three-point field goals, the most for a Spartan opponent since November 15 when Johns Hopkins hit ten in their two point win … the Wolves finished the game with 20 more attempts from the free throw line while they concluded the game with 13 more makes at the stripe … the 39 free throw attempts were an opponent season high by 11 attempts … the 89 points allowed are the season high for the Spartan defense but the three overtimes provides a good reason for the high point total surrendered … the teams were tied at 65 at the end of regulation … York held Alvernia to just 28 points in the second half … junior Kai Cipalla played all 55 minutes as he led York with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, one blocked shot and one steal … Cipalla was 9-for-18 from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from the stripe … Jackson Mascari added 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in his 40 minutes before he fouled out … Jayden Rowe was the third Spartan in double figures with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds … Rowe also had three assists, two blocked shots and one steal … senior Chris Miers and Tate Landis were the two other Spartans who were disqualified by fouls in the game.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return home on Wednesday night as they host Albright in a MAC Commonwealth contest. Tip time is set for 7:00 pm. The Spartans have four regular season contests remaining. Their next two games are at Wolf Gym and their final two regular season games will be on the road.