FROSTBURG, Md. – The York College women's basketball team rolled past Frostburg State 56-40 in an important Capital Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday night at Frostburg.
The Spartans earn their second win in a row and improve to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in the CAC. The Bobcats fall to 5-10 overall and 1-4 in the CAC. With both York and Mary Washington winning games Wednesday, both teams remain tied for first place in the CAC.
The Green and White came to play hard from the first whistle. The Spartans had terrific ball movement in the opening minutes of their first road game in over a month. York took the lead right away and never relinquished it.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end. Despite not being able to hit their shots, the Spartans played outstanding defense and forced the Bobcats into turnovers and a rushed offense
Kelsey Murphy (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) hit an early three to push the lead to five points at 15:43. The Bobcats stayed close early on. Kristen Haley (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Visitation) got off to a hot start and began to push the lead with a big three-point play at 12:29.
Loreta Tonuzi (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) came off the bench to hit a three and the Spartans would go up 19-11 with under nine minutes to go in the half. Kailee Knight (Crofton, Md./South River) came up big on a fast break and one to push the lead to 11. Brittany Hicks (Dover, Pa./York Catholic) followed up with a big bucket of her own and then drew a charge on the other side of the court. The Spartans continued to struggle from behind the arc, but turnovers by the Bobcats helped York hold onto the lead.
In the final few minutes of the first half, the Bobcats tried to push the ball and cut into the Spartans lead, but could not find what they were looking for. Thanks to some good rebounding the Green and White would head into halftime up 28-14, holding Frostburg to only 5 made field goals.
Coming out in the second half both teams continued to shoot poorly. The Bobcats would be the first to score a bucket over two minutes in, cutting the Spartans lead to 12. Hicks finally got the Spartans points with a jump shot at 16:57. After a few quick fouls, both Hicks and Haley found themselves on the bench with three each. The Spartans started the second half 1-for-17 from the floor and the Bobcats were able to cut the lead to single-digits for the first time since early in the game.
Knight scored a layup at 10:22 and then went down and blocked a shot to get things going again for the Spartans. Aja Wallpher (Ellicott City, Md./Seton Keough) aired a pass out to Hicks on a fast break that finished with a quick layup. Murphy came up with a big jump shot, just her second make of the night, to put the Spartans up 41-28.
The Bobcats had their opportunities to close the gap, but could not convert with time running out. Hicks would add her 18th point of the game after finishing a traditional three-point play. Murphy then drained a three with 4:13 remaining to give the Spartans an 18 point lead, their biggest of the game. Wallpher added a three of her own and the Spartans would cruise to a 56-40 victory.
Hicks led the way for the Spartans with her 10th double-double in 14 games. She finished with 18 points (5-12) and 13 rebounds. Hicks also went 8-9 from the line and came up with two steals. Haley had an impressive game as well, earning her fourth double-double of the season. Haley finished with 11 points and 12 boards. Knight played a strong game, with nine points and nine rebounds. Wallpher looked good at point, playing all 40 minutes for the Spartans and recording five assists and five steals.
The Bobcats struggled even more then the Spartans from the field. Frostburg had no player in double-digits. Elaina Hummel was the Bobcats leading scorer with nine points and four rebounds. Brynn Arnone chipped in seven points and pulled down a team high seven rebounds.
The Spartans owned the boards, outrebounding Frostburg 52-40. Turnovers were much closer, with the Green and White committing one less then the Bobcats, 16-15.
York finished the game shooting 31.3% (20-64) from the floor. The 1-for-17 drought the Green and White hit in the second half did not help their percentage. They faired even worse from long range, only knocking down 4-of-23 three's. The Spartans did however shoot 75% (12-16) from the line.
Frostburg only shot 22.2%, hitting just 12-of-54 from the field. The Spartans did not allow the Bobcats to score a single three in the game, but they were able to knock down 16-of-22 (72.7%) free throws.
The Green and White return to action back home on Saturday to battle for the top spot in the CAC against Mary Washington. The Spartans and the Eagles tip off is at 1:00 pm.