LANCASTER, PA – The York College improved to 2-0 as they ran past Franklin & Marshall College 84-59 in non-conference action at Mayser Gymnasium in Lancaster on Tuesday evening.
The Spartans got off to a fast start in the contest as they started the game on a 13-4 run. Junior forward Sam Hruz (White Marsh, Pa./Mercy) powered the run with a three early on and then she closed it out with a free throw. After a Diplomat three pointer from Anajha Burnett, Katie Wagner (Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock) tallied a bucket and Hruz followed with another three to push the York lead to 18-7. After the Diplomats trimmed their deficit to seven at 18-11, the Green and White scored eight of the final 10 points of the quarter to take a 26-13 lead after one.
The Spartans led 32-18 when they hit the Diplomats with a quick 8-3 spurt to push the lead to 40-21 with 2:43 remaining in the opening half. Franklin & Marshall scored eight of the final 13 points of the half as York's lead was 44-29 at the break.
Hruz continued her career night to open the third quarter as she converted a three-point play to start the stanza and then hit a three pointer three minutes later to push the lead to 55-33. Wagner hit a lay up with 2:09 remaining in the third to push the lead to 25 at 63-28.
The Spartans made a final run to start the fourth quarter as Hruz banged her career-high fourth three of the night. That triple kick started a 10-0 run that ballooned the Spartan lead to a game-high 32. The Diplomats scored the final six points of the game to make the final margin 25 points.
Hruz tallied a career-high 23 points in just 24 minutes of action. The forward was 8-for-13 from the floor, 4-for-5 from three, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. She pulled in seven rebounds, blocked four shots and had a pair of steals in the victory. Wagner also played well for York as the sophomore guard tallied 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor including one three. Wagner added three rebounds, three assists, and three steals for York.
Sophomore Morgan Kuehne (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) was the third starter in double figures with 11 points while she also had six rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist. Junior Karli McFatridge (York, Pa./York Catholic) was the fourth Spartan to reach double figures as she tallied 12 points in a mere 13 minutes of play off the bench for York. McFatridge was 3-for-8 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the stripe.
Junior Brianna Bisci (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) had a great floor game for York as the Spartan point guard had seven assists, five rebounds, three points and a steal in her 26 minutes of action. Bisci did not commit a turnover in the victory.
Burnett led all scorers as she poured in 27 points for the Diplomats. She was 12-for-22 from the floor including 2-for-7 from three. Burnett was also 1-for-2 from the line, pulled in a game-high eight rebounds, had three steals and an assist. Lindsey Powers added 11 points in her 29 minutes of play. Powers was 4-for-13 from the floor including 3-of-7 from distance.
Burnett and Powers combined to score 38 of the Diplomats' 59 points.
The Spartans finished the game shooting 45.6% from the field and 33.3% (6-for-18) from three. They again struggled from the line as they converted just 16-of-24 (66.7%) attempts. F&M shot 35.8% from the floor and 31.3% (5-for-16) from three. The Dips were just 6-for-12 from the stripe.
York held a 47-41 margin on the glass while the Spartans also had 15-10 margin in second chance points. York amassed a 46-28 advantage in points in the paint in the win. Neither team took good care of the ball as F&M had 24 turnovers while York had 22 miscues.
The Spartans will make their home debut on Saturday evening when they host Newbury College in the opening round of the Ninth Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Wolf Gymnasium. The Spartans and Nighthawks tip off at 5:30 pm followed by McDaniel and Worcester State in the other tournament semifinal at 7:30 pm. The consolation game will be held Sunday at 1:00 pm followed by the 3:00 pm championship game.