Second Half Surge Lifts Frostburg Past Spartans

More news about: York (Pa.)

FROSBTBURG, MD – The York College women's basketball team had their three-game win streak snapped as they dropped a 68-54 Capital Athletic Conference contest at Frostburg State University on Thursday night. The game was postponed from Wednesday after the winter storm ripped through the Mid-Atlantic region yesterday.

The Spartans fall to 9-9 overall and 6-4 in the conference while the Bobcats improve to 9-10 overall and are also now 6-4 in the league.

Senior Jaimie Sapp led the Spartans with 15 points while freshman Aja Wallpher chipped in with a career-high 14 points. Frostburg's Stephanie Straka poured in a game-high 16 points to pace the Bobcats.

The Spartans fell behind early as the Bobcats started the game on a 7-0 run to seize the quick advantage. The Spartans trimmed the lead to four but the Bobcats fashioned a 15-8 run to push the lead to 11 at 26-15 with 8:09 remaining in the half. York scored five of the next six points to cut the lead to 26-20 but the Bobcats finished the half on a 10-5 run to take a 36-25 lead to the break.

The Green and White battled back in the second half as they started the stanza on a prolonged 20-6 spurt covering the opening eight minutes of the half. That gave the Spartans a 45-42 lead with 12:48 left in the game. The hosts answered in a big way, hitting York with a 12-1 run that pushed the Frostburg lead to 54-45. The run covered just over four minutes and the Spartans would be unable to recover the rest of the way. York cut the lead to seven on a pair of Kristen Haley free throws but the Bobcats outscored York 14-7 over the final 6:50 to secure the win.

Straka led the Bobcats as she was 8-for-11 from the floor while she also had seven rebounds and seven assists to go with her 16 points. Mindy Sharp and Elizabeth Carrington each added 10 points while Mercedes White pulled in a game-high 12 rebounds for Frostburg. White also chipped in six points and four assists in her 32 minutes of play.

Sapp paced York with her 15 points, as she was 6-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-6 from the line. She also pulled in six rebounds and had a blocked shot. Wallpher was the other Spartan in double figures with her career night. She was 5-for-12 from the floor including a career-high three three-point field goals. Wallpher also registered six steals, five rebounds, and three assists. Haley added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds for York.

The Spartans continue to struggle shooting the ball as they went just 20-for-68 (29.4%) for the game from the floor. That is the fourth time this year they have failed to make at least 30% of their attempts from the field and the tenth time they have been under 40% for a game. The Green and White also labored from three as they went just 6-for-31 (19.4%) from downtown. The Spartans' 31 attempts from distance were the highest total attempts for the year while the 19.2% accuracy mark was the fifth time the Spartans did not shoot at least 20% from beyond the arc.  The Spartans also shot just 47.1% from the free throw line for the game, converting 8-of-17 in the game.

The Bobcats shot 54.4% from the floor as they attempted 11 less shots than York but made 11 more field goals. The Bobcats were 2-for-10 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe.

The Spartans out-rebounded their hosts 41-39 and had a 22-4 edge in second chance points.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Hood College to face the Blazers in a Capital Athletic Conference contest at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, MD. Tip time is set for 4:00 pm.