SALEM, VA – The York College men's basketball team went on the road to Salem, Virginia to play Johnson & Wales in the opening round of the Dick Leftwich Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Roanoke College on Friday night. The Spartans rolled to an 84-55 win as they advance to face the host Maroons who bombed the Goucher Gophers 88-50 in the tournament's other semifinal.
Late in the win, senior Jared Wagner became the 26th Spartan to reach 1,000 career points as he hit a left-handed lay-up with 2:48 left in the contest. He is the fourth Spartan to reach the milestone under head coach Matt Hunter.
Records
York (Pa.): 2-0
Johnson & Wales: 0-1
Team Stats
Score: York 84, Johnson & Wales 55
FG: York 30-for-59 (50.8%), J&W 22-for-66 (33.3%)
3PT FG: York 12-for-35 (34.3%), J&W 2-for-17 (11.8%)
FT: York 12-for-19 (63.2%), J&W 9-for-17 (52.9%)
Rebounds: York 42, J&W 37
Assists: York 19, J&W 7
Turnovers: York 14, J&W 12
Blocked Shots: York 2, J&W 2
Steals: York 2, J&W 6
How It Happened:
• The Sparans got off to a great start in the game as they raced out to a 10-2 lead keyed by three pointers from Colin Rimel and David Giuliani. The Wildcats eventually trimmed the York lead to 19-18 on a Brian Hogan-Gary lay-up with 8:18 left in the first half. The teams traded buckets before the Spartans ripped off eight straight points thanks to a Jared Wagner lay-up and back-to-back threes from Joe Polczynski and Rimel as the York lead stood at 29-20.
• The Wildcats scored to cut the Spartan lead to seven but then the Spartans ripped off a 14-0 spurt to close out the half as they took a 43-22 lead to the break. The Spartan run to cover the final 7:16 of the half was 22-2.
• The second half was much like Wednesday's opener at Dickinson. The Spartan lead never fell below 19 points in the stanza. The Spartans went on a 12-0 run midway through the half to push the lead to 31. The big second half bulge allowed head coach Matt Hunter to play his entire roster. The second half was highlighted by Wagner as joined the 1,000 career point club with a driving lay up with 2:48 left in the game. The Spartan bench erupted with joy as Wagner reached the career milestone.
Spartan Leaders:
Joe Polczynski: 12 points, 5-for-9 FG, 2-for-6, 2 rebounds
David Giuliani: 11 points, 5-for-9 FG, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Jared Wagner: 10 points, 3-for-6 FG, 4-for-4 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Zach Novick: 10 points, 2-for-2 FT, 1 rebound, 2 assists
Logan Collins: 8 points, 2-for-2 FG, 2-for-2 3PT FG, 2-for-4 FT, 8 rebounds, 1 assist
Johnson & Wales Leaders:
Brian Hogan-Gary: 19 points, 8-for-19 FG, 3-for-7 FT, 9 rebounds
Justin Bullock: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Aireus Raspberry: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Notes:
The meeting between the Spartans and Wildcats was the first in program history … the Spartans advance to the championship game against host Roanoke … senior Jared Wagner became the 26th Spartan men's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points … he joins Dalton Myers, Matt Scamuffo, Blayde Reich and Jason Bady as players who have reached the milestone under head coach Matt Hunter … York had 12 players reach the scoring column in the win … freshman guard Logan Collins pulled in a career-high eight rebounds as he now has 15 boards in his first two college games … sophomore Sean Kelly tossed in a career-high seven points as he was 3-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the line … the Spartans are now shooting 52.7% from the floor and 36.7% from three as they are averaging 87 points per game … York has held their first two opponents to 37.2% shooting from the floor and 21.2% from three … York has outrebounded their first two opponents by an average of 11 boards per contest.
Up Next
The Spartans will face off against the host Maroons in the Dick Leftwich Tip-Off Tournament championship. Tip time at the Creggar Center is set for 3:00 pm.