FREDERICK, MD - The Hood College Blazers got a lay-up from Garrison Linton with .7 seconds left to swipe a 95-93 overtime win over York on Saturday in Frederick, Maryland. The game featured two of the top teams in the MAC Commonwealth and came down to the final play of the game.
The contest was a tale of two halves. York dominated the first half while the Blazers returned the favor in the second half while overtime was a great back-and-forth battle. The game featured 14 lead changes and 16 ties.
The Spartans had their five-game win streak snapped with the setback as they fall to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in the league. The Blazers have now won three straight, as they are also 12-5 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
 
How It Happened
• York got off to a great start as they sprinted out to a 10-5 lead just over four minutes into the game. The Blazers responded with a 9-3 run to take a 14-13 lead just over two minutes later. The Spartans hit three-pointers on their next three possessions to kick started a 14-2 run that gave York a 27-16 lead with 8:29 left in the half. Hood sliced the lead to five with a quick 9-3 spurt but the Green and White scored 11 of the next 15 points of the game to take a 41-29 lead. Hood scored six of the final ten points of the half as York took a 45-35 lead to the break.
• York shot 57.7% in the first half including 7-for-15 from three while they held the Blazers to just 1-for-6 from three and 46.2% overall. Unfortunately for York, that trend did not continue in the next 20 minutes of play.
• The Blazers wasted little time getting themselves right back into the game as they started the second half on a 14-4 run. Karron Mallory led the way for the Blazers with six points on the spurt as they were 5-for-6 from the floor, 3-for-3 from three and 1-for-1 from the line. Conversely, the Spartans, who were hot in the first half, came out of the intermission hitting just 1-of-5 from the floor including 0-for-3 from three.
• The teams then took turns dancing with momentum but neither team led by more than four over the next 13 minutes of the game. There were six ties and 11 lead changes during that period of the game.
• With the Spartans trailing 75-72 with 2:10 left, Jackson Mascari drilled a three and Kai Cipalla converted a three-point play to put the Spartans up two with 1:32 left in regulation. Jevon Yarbrough tied the game on a driving lay-up with 1:08 left. York had two shots to put home the go-ahead bucket but both attempts missed the mark. The Spartans got a stop on the other end of the floor as the teams headed to the extra session.
• The overtime was high scoring from the start as Garret Cox opened the overtime with a bucket 17 seconds into the period. The trend was that the Blazers would go up and the Spartans would answer. Jayden Rowe hit a pair of big threes to tie the game with both shots. Mascari then tied the game again, this time at 88 on his sixth three of the day with 2:26 left. The Blazers scored the next four points to take a 92-88 lead with 45 seconds left. Chris Miers drilled a huge three with 31 seconds left, bringing York to within one. The Spartans fouled Jude Huseby who split the pair giving York hope with 22 seconds left.
• Cipalla came through again for York as he finished off a lay-up with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 93. The Spartans looked like they got a stop as they appeared to force a turnover with .7 seconds left. However, the initial ruling was overturned, giving Hood the ball on their own baseline. The Blazers converted as Linton cut for a lay-up, releasing the shot just before the horn to steal the win.
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans shot 50% (33-for-66) from the floor and 34.3% (12-for-35) from three in the game while the Green and White shot 65.2% (15-for-23) from the line … the Blazers finished the game shooting a blistering 57.1% (32-for-56) from the field, 50% (7-for-14) from three and 80% (24-for-30) from the stripe … York held a 33-30 edge in total rebounds including a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass … York had a 14-12 margin in second chance points while the Blazers had a 42-34 advantage in paint points … Hood had 13 turnovers which York turned into 14 points while York's 13 miscues resulted in 19 Hood points … York led for 61.1% (27:29) of the game … Hood's largest lead in the game was four points (92-88) while York's was 12 (45-33) … the Blazers got 32 points and 10 rebounds from Garrett Cox as he was 10-for-14 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three and 10-for-12 from the line … Garrison Linton added 16 points, three rebounds, and six assists in his 43 minutes of work … Jevon Yarbrough was the third Blazer in double figures with 18 points.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 11-9 all-time against the Blazers as York has lost two straight in the series … the Spartans are now 1-3 in overtime this year … the three overtime losses have come by a combined six points … York shot 50% for the fifth time this year and this is the first time they had lost when reaching the 50% shooting mark … the 95 points allowed were the most allowed by the Green and White this season as was the 57.1% shooting by the Blazers … York has allowed three opponents to shoot 50% or better this year and they are 1-2 in those games … York converted another 12 three-point field goals, the 11^th time this year they have reached double figures in threes and the fifth time they had 12 or more in a game … the Spartans held the Blazers to just seven made three pointers, five makes under their average which is seventh in Division III … York won the battle on the glass for the fourth straight game … York's 21 assists tied their season high (vs. Stockton) and is the fourth time they have had 20 or more in a game … York had two players foul out, tying a season-high … senior Jackson Mascari was outstanding as he poured in a career-high 29 points while he also had three rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 45 minutes of action … Mascari was 10-for-16 from the floor, 6-for-10 from three and 3-for-4 from the line … senior Kai Cipalla registered his tenth career double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds while he also had three assists and two blocked shots … Cipalla also played all 45 minutes as he was 11-for-16 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the line … Jayden Rowe contributed 18 points, four rebounds and a steal … Chris Miers was the fourth Spartan in double figures with 10 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal … Tate Landis set a new career-high with nine assists as he had just one turnover in 32 minutes.
 
Up Next
The Spartans continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday night when they head to Chester, PA to take on the Widener University Pride. Tip time is set for 7:00 pm.