YORK, PA – The York College men's basketball team rode a season-best defensive performance as they celebrated Senior Day with a 64-38 MAC Commonwealth win over Messiah on Saturday in York. The Spartans held the Falcons to 19 points in each half as they cruised to the 26-point win.
York improves to 14-9 overall and 7-5 in the Commonwealth while the Falcons fall to 5-18 overall and 1-11 in the league.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a good start in the game as the Green and White took an 11-4 lead just 5:30 into the game. The Spartans pushed their lead to 19-9 before the Falcons went on an 8-2 run to slice the Spartan lead to 21-17 with 5:18 remaining in the opening half. The Spartans finished the half on a 9-2 run as they took a 30-19 lead to the intermission.
• The Spartans held the Falcons to 33.3% shooting in the first half while York hammered the Falcons on the glass as the Spartans had a 23-8 advantage in the first 20 minutes of play. Neither team did a great job of taking care of the ball as York had seven turnovers while Messiah had eight miscues.
• York came out of the break and scored nine of the first 11 points of the half, pushing the York lead to 39-21 less than four minutes into the half. The teams traded baskets over the next minute and a half before the Spartans removed all doubt with a 13-0 run that covered 6:22 of game time to push the lead to 55-26 with 8:55 left in the game.
• The Spartans pushed the lead to a game-high 29 points on a Nick Schroeder triple with 4:25 left in the game. The Spartans would settle for the 26-point win.
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 42.3% from the floor and 25.8% (8-for-31) from three … the Spartans were 12-for-16 (75%) from the charity stripe … Messiah shot 29.1% from the floor, 14.3% (2-for-14) from three and 57.1% (4-for-7) from the line … York had a 48-26 bulge on the glass including a 13-7 edge in offensive rebounds … York had a 10-7 advantage in second chance points … York had 15 turnovers to 13 for the Falcons … York blocked six shots in the win while Messiah had one … York had a 26-18 margin in paint points … Messiah had a 9-7 edge in steals and a 6-2 margin in fast break points.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans swept the season series from the Falcons as they have won three straight in the series and hold a 14-11 edge in all-time series … the Spartans held the Falcons to their lowest point total of the year and 29.4 points below their season average … the Falcons previous low score of the year was 51 points in a loss to Eastern on January 20 … the Spartans' 26-point margin of victory is their largest of the season … Messiah's 29.1% shooting from the floor was York's second best defensive field goal percentage effort of the year (25% at Albright) … Messiah was 4-for-22 from three in their two games against the Spartans … Messiah's two made three pointers in each game against the Spartans are the lowest by an opponent this year … York's plus-22 rebounding margin is their largest advantage on the glass of the year … the Spartans' six blocked shots are the most since January 17 against Albright when York had seven … junior Kai Cipalla had another big game as the forward had 22 points and 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year … Cipalla was 9-for-11 and 3-for-5 from the line in his 34 minutes of play … Cipalla also had two assists and two steals … Jayden Rowe was the other Spartan in double figures with 10 points while he also had five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot … Pat Gilhool had a strong showing with nine points and seven rebounds in his 16 minutes of play … the Spartans honored their three seniors prior to the contest, which was the final home game of the 2023-24 regular season … Chris Miers, Johnny Kennevan, and Shawn Barclay closed out their home careers with the win … York finished the year 8-6 at Charles Wolf Gym.
 
Up Next
The Spartans finish the 2023-24 regular season with a pair of big road games as they head to Widener on Tuesday and Hood on Saturday. The Pride are currently leading the league at 10-2 while the Blazers are 9-3, one game back of Widener. Tuesday game tips off at 7:00 pm from Chester, PA.