YORK, PA – The York College women's basketball team did something it has never done before as the Spartans lost to Stevenson University 73-65, in Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday night in York. The Spartans had won all 12 of their previous meetings with the Mustangs.

York falls to 7-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference while the Mustangs improve to 4-9 and 2-4 in the league.

The teams were tied early on at two but a three pointer by Jaquelia Conley gave the Mustangs a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Stevenson led by as many as 11 in the first half as they reached that mark three different times. The Spartans cut their first half deficit to a two points on three occasions but York would never be able to get over the hump. The final time came on a Loreta Tonuzi (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) triple with 5:44 left in the stanza but Stevenson responded with an 13-4 run covering the final 5:26 of the half to take a 39-28 lead to the break.

Much to the Spartans credit, they battled in the second half to again cut into the Stevenson lead. After the Mustangs pushed the lead to 13 early in the half, York cut the Stevenson advantage to four on a pair of April Sparkman (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) free throws with 14:10 remaining in the game. The Mustangs responded with a 7-0 spurt, pushing the lead back to 11. The Green and White answered the Mustang run with an 8-0 run of their own, trimming the lead to three at 53-50 with 10:33 left. The Spartans would get no closer than three as they were hampered by their own inability to hit lay ups from point blank range, a problem that has plagued the Spartans all season long.

York finished the game shooting 32.2% from the floor as they were just 4-for-21 (21.1%) from three. Stevenson shot 40% from the field and 31.3% (5-for-16) from three.

Conley paced the Mustangs as she scorched the Spartans for 24 points on 9-for-21 shooting including 4-for-8 from three. She added five steals and six rebounds for Stevenson. Amanda Craig chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds, and four steals while Kristen Steiner added 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in her 25 minute of action. Rayshell Parker pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds in addition to her six points. Conley, Craig and Steiner combined to produce 48 of the Mustangs' 73 points.

The Spartans received 21 points from Sparkman but the junior standout struggled from the floor, converting just four of her 21 shots from the field including 2-for-9 from three. Sparkman was very much on the mark at the free throw line as she knocked down 11-of-12 from the stripe. She also had seven rebounds for York. Sophomore Dija Mitchell (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) was the other Spartan in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting including one three. She made 3-of-5 from the line while she also had five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

The Spartans committed 18 turnovers in the game, which the Mustangs turned into 17 points.  Many of those miscues were result of Stevenson's full court trapping press at key points in the contest. Stevenson finished with 14 steals in the game.

Stevenson outrebounded York 49-42 as the Spartans have been outrebounded in four of their last five games.

York returns to action on Monday night when they host St. Mary's College in a CAC contest. Tip time from Charles Wolf Gymnasium is set for 6:00 pm.

BOXSCORE

Khadija Mitchell scored 16 points for the Spartans against Stevenson - photo courtesy of Zach Clabaugh (www.sharpedgephoto.smugmug.com)