GRANTHAM, PA – The York College men's basketball team bounced back from Wednesday's disappointment against Albright with an 81-71 win over Messiah in Grantham on Saturday.
The game wasn't as close as the final score indicated as the Green and White led by 26 points midway through the second half before the Falcons went on a late run to narrow the gap.
The Spartans improve to 17-6 overall and 10-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons fall to 4-19 overall and 3-9 in the Commonwealth.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a strong start as they looked to put Wednesday's game behind them. The Spartans led 8-4 early as Jackson Mascari scored five of those eight points. After Messiah cut the Spartan lead to 10-8, York went on a 14-6 run fueled by Mascari as he tallied six points during the spurt, growing the lead to 24-14.
• After the Falcons got a jumper from Jordan Edwards-Saliu, the Spartans went on a prolonged 19-8 run, increasing the lead to 43-24. Mascari continued his red hot first half with 10 points on the run. The Falcons scored seven of the final 13 points of the half but York took a 49-31 lead to the break. Mascari finished the half with 21 points while Kai Cipalla added 16 for York.
• The Spartans did a great job in the second half of maintaining their advantage through the first 15 minutes of the half. The lead hit 20 on a Mascari lay-up just 1:37 into the second half. The Falcons cut the lead to 17 on a Christian Jackson jumper but the Spartans responded with a 15-6 run, pushing the lead to 71-45 with 11:08 left in the game.
• After the Spartans increased the lead to 77-54 with 6:52 left in the game, the Falcons finished the game on a 17-4 run, turning the runaway into a ten-point Spartan victory.
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 51% (26-for-51) from the floor including 34.6% (9-for-26) from three … the Spartans were good from the line, converting 20-of-25 (80.0%) in the win … the Falcons shot 56.9% (29-for-51) from the floor including 6-for-12 (50%) from three … the Falcons were just 7-for-12 (58.3%) from the stripe … York dominated the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Messiah 33-21 including 11-3 in offensive rebounds … York had a 14-5 bulge in second chance points … York had ten turnovers total after having just one in the first half while Messiah had nine miscues … Messiah had 13 points off York turnovers while the Spartans created 12 points off the Messiah miscues … Messiah held a 36-32 advantage in paint points … York had a 6-3 edge in steals and a 16-12 margin in assists … York led for 38:08 (95.3%) of the game … York's largest lead came at 73-47 (26) with 9:35 left in regulation … Caleb Lyles led the way for the Falcons as he had 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists as he was 5-for-7 from the floor including 1-for-1 from the line and 2-for-3 from three … Johnny McBride added 12 points and three rebounds while Ben Wert and Christian Jackson each tallied 11 points … Cole Fisher was the fifth Falcon in double figures with 10 points.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans have now won five straight against the Falcons and lead the all-time series 16-11 … the Spartans remain tied with Albright for first place in the league as both teams are now 10-2 in the league … York improves to 8-4 on the road this year … York shot 50% or better from the field for the ninth time this year and the fifth time in conference play … the Spartans performance at the free throw line was their second best of the year (20-for-23, 87% vs. Penn State Harrisburg) … York's 12-rebound advantage in the win was their second largest margin of the year (16 at Alvernia) … York had assists on 16 of 26 field goals … the 16 assists marks the 12^th time this year they have had 15 helpers or more in a game … the Spartans were led by the senior duo of Jackson Mascari and Kai Cipalla as they both poured in 26 points … Mascari was 8-for-14 from the floor including 4-for-8 from three and 6-for-8 from the line in addition to two rebounds, four assists and two steals … Cipalla was deadly from the floor as he was 10-for-12 including 2-for-2 from three and 4-for-4 from the line … Cipalla had five rebounds and three assists in his 28 minutes of action … Chris Miers tied his career high in rebounding with 10 caroms, a mark he first set against Dickinson on December 30, 2023 … Pat Gilhool and Ben Troyer each added six points to the Spartan attack.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return home for their final two games of the 2024-25 regular season as the host Widener University in a key MAC Commonwealth contest against the Pride. Tip time at Charles Wolf Gymnasium is set for 7:00 pm on Wednesday evening.