YORK, PA – The York College men's basketball squad snapped a four-game losing streak at Marymount University as the Spartans downed the Saints 79-53 in Capital Athletic Conference play on Saturday in Arlington, VA. The Spartans, who have won two straight, improve to 5-2 overall and 2-0 on the league. The Saints fall to 1-6 and 0-3 in the CAC.
The Spartans placed four players in double figures paced by senior Kevin Whaley as the guard poured in a game-high 18 points. Sophomores Julian Watson, Jeremy Skoloda, and Mo Oursler also reached double figures for the Spartans as York picked up its first win in Arlington since February 10, 2007 when they recorded a 94-82 win.
After the Saints took an early lead, the Spartans went on a prolonged 29-5 run to take a 31-10 advantage. The York lead reached a first-half high of 23 on a pair of Watson free throws but the Saints scored the final seven points of the half as the York lead stood at 36-20 at the break.
The York advantage hovered in the high teens for the opening minutes of the second half until the Spartans went on an 18-5 run that increased the lead to 29 at 63-34 with 8:47 remaining in the game. Oursler increased the Spartan lead to 30 on a three pointer and a jumper with 3:28 left. York played all 20 players that dressed as the Spartans cruised to the 26-point win.
Whaley finished the game shooting a very efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the floor including 3-for-3 from distance and 3-for-5 from the charity stripe. He also had four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in his 20 minutes of play. Watson came off the bench and contributed 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Skoloda added 10 points, a career-high tying six rebounds, four assist and four steals. Oursler established a career-high with 10 points while he also had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Keenan Brown led the Saints with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Bryan DeBruin added five points, a game-high eight rebounds, and two assists for Marymount.
The Spartans forced the Saints into 31 turnovers, which York turned into 30 points. The Green and White also dominated the inside scoring as they held a 36-18 edge in points in the paint.
York finished the game shooting 48.3% from the floor, 53.5% (8-for-15) from three, and 55.6% (15-for-27) from the free throw line. The Saints converted just 38.3% from the floor, 33.3% (6-for-18) from three and 64.7% (11-for-17) from the free throw line. Both teams pulled in 36 rebounds while the Spartans accumulated 14 steals in the win.
The Green and White will now prepare to head to nationally ranked St. Mary's College on Wednesday night in an early season CAC showdown. The Spartans will then have a season-high seven game home stand starting a week from today against Frostburg State.