DOVER, DEL. – The York College women's basketball team made Wednesday's win at Wesley a historic one as the Spartans' 67-57 victory gave long time head coach Betsy Witman her 300th career victory. The Spartans outscored the Wolverines 42-27 in the second half to give Witman the career milestone.
Just as important as the personal milestone was for Witman, the victory for the Spartans put the defending Capital Athletic Conference champions square in the hunt for a conference tournament berth after starting the year 0-6 in the league. York is now 10-10 overall and 6-7 in the CAC while the Wolverines are also now 10-10 and 6-7 in the conference. York has won six of their last seven games as they are surging at the right time.
The Wolverines got off to a good start in the game as they led York 7-2 just under two minutes in. The Wolverines pushed the lead to 16-10 before the Spartans went on a 7-0 spurt to take their first lead of the night. The game would then ping-pong back and forth until the final minute and a half of the stanza as Wesley used turnovers on back-to-back possessions to get a pair of fast break buckets to take a 29-25 lead. York came up dry on their next two possessions and the Wolverines split a pair of free throws to take a 30-25 lead to the intermission.
The Spartans came out of the half and got a Morgan Golec (Abingdon, Md./Patterson Mill) triple from the right wing, giving the York faithful in attendance a glimpse of what would come later in the second half.
The Wolverines would keep the Spartans anxious as they continued to lead until senior Jess Selby (Marlboro, Md./Calverton School) drained a three with 7:15 left in regulation, tying the game at 48. Selby's triple was a key part of the game-changing 15-3 run that turned a five point Spartan deficit into a 55-48 lead.
Brionna Johnson drilled a pair of free throws to cut York's lead to five but Selby drove the dagger deep into the heart of the Wolverines with her third triple of the night, pushing the York lead back to eight. Selby drained her fourth three of the half just under two minutes later to push the lead to 64-52 with 2:31 left in regulation.
The Spartans would close out the win with a triple from the top of the key from Brianna Bisci (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) with 1:34 left. York would close out the final 20 seconds as the York bench erupted in cheers for their revered head coach.
While the hot Spartan shooting would play a pivotal role in the win, Witman's decision to switch her defense to zone midway through the second half allowed the Green and White to limit Wesley to just one shot as they only had three second chance points in the second half. York also did a much better job of taking care of the ball as they had just five turnovers in the second half after 10 first half miscues.
Senior Shea Wassel (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Wassel was 8-for-13 from the floor while she also had two blocked shots and a steal in her 29 minutes of action. Selby was brilliant in the second half as the senior was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in her 12 minutes of play in the half.
Sophomore Sam Hruz (White Marsh, Md./Mercy) was a defensive monster in the game as she tied a career-high with six blocked shots. Hruz also added eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals as she continues to do everything for York. Bisci had her second straight game without a turnover at the point as she dished out a game-high seven assists. Bisci also had six points, two steals and a rebound.
Johnson led the Wolverines with a double-double as she notched 17 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson had to work for her points, as she was harassed into a 4-for-17 performance from the field including 3-for-7 from three. She was a sharp 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Alexus Stroud added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Wolverines. Stroud was 6-for-16 from the field including 2-for-9 from three. Roniece Williams was the third Wolverine in double figures with 12 points.
The Spartans were fantastic from the floor in the second half as they shot 53.3% from the floor including 9-for-14 from beyond the arc. York finished the game shooting 44.1% from the floor and 45.5% (10-for-22) from downtown. The 10 three pointers is York's second highest total of the year, one less than the 11 they hit in last Wednesday's win over PSU Harrisburg.
The Spartan defense limited Wesley to 29.6% shooting in the second half and 33.9% for the game. The Wolverines went 7-for-23 from three and 8-for-11 from the free throw line.
York finished the game with a 39-37 margin on the glass while they also had 23 assists on 26 field goals in the win.
Witman earned the 300th win in her 481st game on the bench for York. She is now 169-92 (64.7%) in the CAC in addition to her 62.4% regular season winning percentage.
Witman was quick to praise all the players and coaches she has won with during her 18 years in York.
"I have reached this milestone thanks to all the talented players I have had the privilege to coach during my time at York," said Witman. "I also share this milestone with my coaching staff and particularly with Kuhnie (assistant coach Sue Kuhn) who has been by my side for all 18 years at York. It has been a fantastic run and I am so appreciative of being at a great place like York College."
The win ties the Spartans for fifth place with Wesley as the teams are both two games back of fourth, currently held by 8-5 Christopher Newport.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday afternoon when they head to Marymount University to face the Saints in another key conference contest. Tip time at the Verizon Sports Arena is set for 2:00 pm.