CHESTER, PA – The 14^th ranked Widener Pride used a huge second half to earn an 84-62 win over York College in MAC Commonwealth play on Wednesday night in Chester.
The Spartans led by four at halftime but the nationally ranked Pride outscored York 50-24 in the second half to run away with the win, avenging York's 20-point win at Wolf Gym in January.
The Spartans fall to 14-10 as they are now 7-6 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Pride improves to 21-3 overall and 11-2 in the league.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a good start as they led 9-5 just over three minutes into the game. The Pride tied the game at nine and the Spartans scored the next four only to have Widener rip off eight straight points to take a 17-13 lead. Widener had a 21-18 lead with 11:52 left but the Spartans responded with a 10-3 run to take a 28-24 lead with just over eight minutes left in the half.
• As had been for almost the entire first half, Widener responded with a quick 5-0 spurt to take a 29-28 lead. York fashioned a second 10-3 spurt as Kai Cipalla poured in seven points on the run as the Spartans led by six. The Pride got the final bucket of the half as they trailed by four, 38-34, at the break.
• Widener turned the game completely around to start the second half as they outscored the Spartans 21-2 over the opening 5:24 of the period. Kevin Schenk led the way with 16 points on the run as the Pride went 8-for-11 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the stripe. York was just 1-for-4 as they committed seven turnovers during the Widener run. That spurt gave the Pride a 55-40 lead. Jackson Mascari slowed the run with a lay-up at the 14:12 mark and York cut the lead to 10 on a Pat Gilhool three with 11:21 left. However, the Pride hit York with the final nail in the coffin with a 12-4 run to give the Pride an 18-point lead with 5:57 left. After Tate Landis hit a pair of free throws, the Pride ended the game on a 12-6 run to provide for their final 22-point margin of victory.
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 47.9% (23-for-48) from the floor including 29.4% (5-for-17) from three and 11-for-15 (73.3%) from the free throw line … Widener shot 48.4% (31-for-64) from the field including 7-for-15 (46.7%) from three and 78.9% (15-for-19) from the free throw line … Widener won the battle on the glass 29-24 as 10 of Widener's rebounds were offensive which led to 11 second-chance points … Widener had a 48-34 edge in paint points … York had 21 turnovers which led to 27 Widener points off the Spartan miscues … the Widener bench outscored their Spartan counterparts 18-3 … Widener had an 18-4 advantage in fast break points … there were 14 lead changes and six ties in the game.
 
 Spartan Notes
The two teams split their season with both squads earning 20 point wins at home … York is now 3-8 all-time against the Pride and the loss snaps York's two-game winning streak against Widener … the Spartans committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the loss … the 11 turnover spread was the largest differential this year … the Pride attempted 16 more shots than the Spartans which is the exact same differential that occurred in game one against the Pride … the difference is York shot 68.9% from the floor against the Pride at Wolf Gym while they shot 47.9% tonight … York was outrebounded for the first time in the last four games … Widener's 13 steals ties a season high for a Spartan opponent … the Spartans are now 6-4 away from Wolf Gymnasium … junior forward Kai Cipalla was again great for the Spartans as he poured in 29 points in 40 minutes of play … Cipalla was 11-for-16 from the floor and 7-for-9 from the free throw line … Cipalla pulled in eight rebounds, had two assists, one blocked shot and one steal … Jackson Mascari added 11 points and seven rebounds as he also played 40 minutes in the game … Tate Landis was the third Spartan in double figures as he added 10 points with one rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
 
Up Next
The Spartans close out their regular season on Saturday with a trip to Hood College. The Spartans are still alive for the MAC Commonwealth playoffs but they need a win on Saturday and an Alvernia loss to Stevenson. Tip time in Frederick is set for 3:00 pm.