ARLINGTON, VA – The York College men's basketball team continued their recent struggles as the Spartans dropped a 67-44 decision t Marymount University in a Capital Athletic Conference contest Wednesday night in Arlington, VA.
The loss drops the Spartans in a last-place tie with the Saints, as both teams are now 2-6 in the CAC. The Spartans now stand at 7-13 overall while Marymount improves to 7-14.
The Spartans got off to a good start as the Green and White sprinted out to a 7-2 lead. The Spartans maintained the lead but wouldn't be able to push it any higher than five. With York leading 14-9, the Saints went on a 16-3 run, turning their five-point deficit into an eight-point lead. York halted the run with a pair of Jeremy Skoloda (Leola, Pa./Contestoga Valley) free throws but the Saints scored seven of the next ten points to take a 32-22 lead to the break.
The Spartans struggled from the field in the opening half as they went just 8-for-23 (34.8%) from the field while the Saints ripped the nets to the tune of 54.2% (13-for-24) shooting including a red-hot 4-for-5 from three.
The Saints came out of the break and pushed their lead to 15 just over four minutes into the second half. The Spartans continued to chip away but Marymount continued to answer back. York fashioned a modest 7-0 run midway through the half but Antonio Rouse hit back to back-to-back dagger threes to push the Saint lead back to 13 with 6:21 left in the game. Rouse's big shots kick started a 13-0 Saints run that effectively ended the contest. York got no closer than 18 the rest of the way.
Rouse led the Saints as the guard had 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds in his 25 minutes of work. Rouse was a very efficient 4-of-6 from the floor including 3-of-4 from downtown. Post player Reed Scott was the other Saint in double figures as he notched 10 points to go along with his six rebounds and his two blocked shots.
The Saints played 12 players and 10 of those players scored two points or more.
York was led by Skoloda as the senior was York's only double figure scorer with 13 points. Senior Todd Maciejewski (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) added a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his eight points while seniors Mitch Kemp (York, Pa./York Suburban) and Chad Styer (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) each added eight markers of their own.
The game continued a disturbing trend for the Green and White. After York romped over this same Marymount team on January 12, the Spartans are 1-4 in their last five games. During the slide, York is averaging just 50 points per game while they are allowing opponents 68.8 points per game. The culprit is the Spartans' shooting as York is making just 38.2% of their attempts from the floor, 23.6% from three and only 65.6% from the charity stripe. York has been held below 50 points in three of the five games. They are being outrebounded by over six caroms per game while they are committing an average of 16 turnovers per game.
In Wednesday's game, the Spartans shot just 33.3% (13-for-39) from the floor, 33.3% (4-for-12) from three and only 53.8% (14-for-26) from the stripe. Conversely, the Saints had their way with the Spartan defense as they shot 51.2% from the floor and a blistering 56.3% (9-for-16) from three.
The Saints finished the game with a 33-26 total edge on the glass while York had 15 turnovers, which Marymount turned into 13 points.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Green and White as they must travel to Salisbury to face the Sea Gulls in another key league contest. Tip time at Maggs Gymnasium is set for 4:00 pm on Saturday.