York (Pa.) Cruises Past St. Mary's into the CAC Semifinals

YORK, PA – The York College women's basketball team opened the 2020 Capital Athletic Conference tournament with a 79-58 quarterfinal win over St. Mary's College on Saturday afternoon in York. The Spartans advance to face Mary Washington in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday evening.

 

Records

York (Pa.): 16-10

St. Mary's (Md.): 3-22

 

Team Stats

Score: York 79, St. Mary's 58

FG: York 30-for-69 (43.5%), SMC 22-for-58 (37.9%)

3PT FG: York 6-for-18 (33.3%), SMC 2-for-15 (13.3%)

FT: York 13-for-17 (76.5%), SMC 12-for-16 (75.0%)

Rebounds: York 45, SMC 36

Assists: York 19, SMC 11

Turnovers: York 14, SMC 19

Blocked Shots: York 3, SMC 6

Steals: York 12, SMC 8

 

How It Happened:

• The Spartans got off to a very sluggish start as the Seahawks jumped on York early to take a 10-7 lead midway through the opening quarter. The Seahawks built the lead to 16-11 and took an 18-14 advantage after one quarter of play.

• The Green and White kicked up the offense a notch in the second quarter as Molly Day began the quarter with a three. The Spartans tied the game at 23 on a Haley Luckabaugh bucket and that kick started a 17-4 run over the remainder of the quarter as York took a 40-27 lead to the break. The run was fueled by freshman Meghan Leininger as she hit a three and converted a three point play in the middle of the spurt. Kayla Ferris closed out the run with a layup and then a fast break hoop with six seconds left in the half to give York the 13 point halftime lead.

• The second quarter would be York's most productive of the day as they outscored St. Mary's 26-9 as they shot 55.6% (10-for-18) from the floor. York scored 15 of their 26 second quarter points off turnovers and had six fast break points.

• The Seahawks came out of the intermission and quickly trimmed the Spartan lead to six. York answered emphatically with a 20-2 run that pushed York's lead to 24 points at 60-36.

• The fourth quarter was the Gina Seifert show for the Seahawks as the senior went to town as she scored 11 of her game-high 34 points. She was 3-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the stripe. St. Mary's cut the Spartan lead to 19 but the result of the game was never in doubt.

 

Spartan Leaders:

Molly Day: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Kayla Ferris: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocked shots, 6 steals

Haley Luckabaugh: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Bradi Zumbrum: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

 

Seahawk Leaders:

Gina Seifert: 34 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 blocked shots, 3 steals

Kyaira Priest: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Kelli Jenkins: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

 

Notes:

The Spartans are now 27-27 all-time in the Capital Athletic Conference tournament … York is now 20-7 in opening round tournament games … York is now 5-1 all-time against St. Mary's in the CAC Tournament … the Seahawks have now lost 19 straight CAC Tournament games … St. Mary's is now 9-26 all-time in the CAC Tournament … York is now 52-12 all-time against St. Mary's as they won all three match-ups this year and 20 of the last 21 meetings … the win was the sixth Spartan victory by 20 points or more this season with three of those coming against St. Mary's … the Seahawks ended the season on a 16-game losing streak … the Spartans made at least six three pointers for the 16th time this season … York made over 75% of their free throws for the 12th time the year … York's 12 steals marks the seventh time this year they reached double figures in steals … junior Molly Day went over 20 points for the third time this season and the last two games in a row as she notched 21 on Wednesday night against the Seahawks … junior Kayla Ferris put together another all-around game with her 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, six steals, and three blocked shots while she didn't commit a turnover in the win.

 

Up Next

The Spartans now advance to face the second-seeded Mary Washington Eagles in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals on Wednesday evening in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Tip time at Rosner Arena is set for 7:00 pm.