YORK, PA – In a battle of undefeated Capital Athletic Conference squads, the York College women's basketball squad outlasted the University of Mary Washington 55-49 in league action on Saturday in York.

The Spartans improve to 8-0 overall and are now 3-0 in CAC play. The Eagles fall to 6-1 overall and are now 2-1 in the conference.

In the first quarter, the Spartans got off to a quick start as junior Sam Hruz (White Marsh, Md./Mercy) asserted herself early on in the offensive end. After the Eagles scored the opening bucket of the game, the Spartans went on a 9-0 spurt fueled by Hruz as she tallied seven of the nine points. York outscored the Eagles 6-4 the rest of the quarter capped by a Morgan Golec (Abingdon, Md./Patterson Mill) triple with 2.3 seconds left in the period.

The Eagles started to pick up the pace offensively in the second quarter. The Spartan pushed their lead to 18-10 on a Katie Wagner (Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock) jumper with 8:12 left in the half. The Eagles then got a Sarah Listenbee jumper and a three pointer from Kendall Parker to cut the York lead to three. The Spartan lead would not get past five the rest of the half as they took a 26-24 lead to the break.

Rebounding was a huge part of the story in the first half. Mary Washington outrebounded the Spartans 21-14 in the first half including 10 offensive rebounds. The saving grace for the Green and White was that they forced 12 Eagle turnovers. The Eagles still had 29 shots to 24 for York.

The Spartans essentially won the game in the third quarter when they outscored the Eagles 13-7 in the period. The Spartans began the quarter with a 9-1 run as their lead grew to 35-25 with 4:37 remaining in the period. The Spartan lead grew to as many as 11 on a Sam Mocniak (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's Annapolis) three with 3:22 left in the quarter. The Spartans would settle for a 39-31 lead after 30 minutes of action.

The Spartans did a fantastic job of hanging on in the fourth quarter as the Eagles would cut into the York lead only to have the Spartans answer right back. The Spartan lead stood at eight with 1:09 left. Megan Green came down and drained a three, cutting the York lead to five. York split two of their next four free throws, pushing the lead back to seven with 49 seconds left. The Eagles' McKenzie Jenkins was fouled with 47 second left but missed both as the Eagles were forced to foul Morgan Kuehne (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion). The sophomore sank both free throws with 49 seconds left, pushing the York lead to nine. The Eagles got a Green three pointer with five seconds left to provide for the final six-point margin of victory.

Hruz powered the Spartans with her fourth straight double-double as she poured in a game-high tying 18 points while she pulled in a game-high 13 rebounds. Hruz was an uncharacteristic 4-for-11 from the field but was clutch at the free throw line, sinking all nine of her attempts at the stripe. She also tied Kristen Haley's school record with seven blocked shots in the win.

Kuehne matched Hruz with 18 points as she was 4-for-9 from the floor including 1-for-1 from three and a career-high 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Wagner added seven points while Mocniak contributed six points and four rebounds.

Green led the Eagles with 14 points as she was 5-for-9 from the floor including 4-for-7 from three. Green added five rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists in her 36 minutes of play. Brianne Comden contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in her 18 minutes of play. Sarah Listenbee was outstanding for the Eagles with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five blocked shots in her 36 minutes of action. Listenbee was 6-for-10 from the floor for the Eagles.

The Spartans finished the game shooting 29.8% from the floor and 33.3% (5-for-15) from three. However, the Spartans had their best showing of the year from the free throw line as they converted 22-of-29 (75.9%) of their attempts. York entered the game shooting 58.8% from the line for the year. The 22 makes were a season-high and their shooting percentage from the line was the highest of the year by almost nine percentage points.

The Eagles shot 31.7% from the field and converted 25% (6-of-24) from three. Mary Washington made nine trips to the line and made just three of those attempts.

The Eagles outrebounded York 43-38 for the game as the Mary Washington held a 10-4 edge in second chance points. The Spartans forced 21 Mary Washington turnovers in the game and York turned those miscues into 22 points. York had 19 turnovers but Mary Washington didn't take advantage as they only got 10 points off turnovers.

The Spartans are now off until Monday, December 28 when they face William Paterson in the opening round of the Hoops for Hounds Tournament hosted by Lycoming College. The Spartans and Pioneers will tip off at 7:00 pm.