FREDERICKSBURG, VA – The York College women's basketball team saw their losing streak grow to three as they dropped a 75-49 decision at conference unbeaten Mary Washington on Wednesday night in Fredericksburg, VA. The Eagles improve to 13-3 overall and 8-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference. The Spartans fall to 7-9 overall and 3-5 in the CAC.

The Eagles jumped out to an early advantage and built on that lead courtesy of a sustained 16-5 run that extended the Mary Washington lead to 26-11 with 5:28 left in the half. The Spartans cut the lead to 10 right before the break but the Eagles got the final bucket of the half to take a 34-22 lead to the intermission.

The Spartans, much like they have all season, struggled to shoot the ball in the first half and it allowed the Eagles to build the halftime advantage. York shot a cool 29.2% in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half quickly turned into a nightmare for the Spartans as Mary Washington opened the half on an 18-6 run that increased the lead to 52-28 with 11:47 left in the game. The Eagles eventually built the lead to as many as 31 before settling for the 26 point victory.

The Eagles were led Rachel Martin as she poured in a game-high 20 points in addition to pulling down seven rebounds. Martin was 6-for-14 from the floor including 4-for-9 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Katie Wimmer, the reigning CAC Player of the Week, added 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the win. Wimmer was 6-for-13 from the floor while she converted 3-of-4 from the line. Jenna McRae was the third Eagle to reach double figures with 13 points in her 19 minutes of action. She pulled in six caroms and handed out five assists in her stint on the floor. Carol Dye did not score in the game for Mary Washington but she did lead all rebounders with 11 boards in just 16 minutes of action.

Senior Jamie Polan (York, Pa./West York) led the Spartans with a career-high 15 points. She was 4-for-9 from the floor and a very sharp 3-for-4 from three. Polan also converted 4-of-6 from the stripe. Dija Mitchell (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) was the other Spartan in double figures with 10 points, four assists, and a pair of rebounds. Caitlin Byrne (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) and Val Hudson (Bowie, Md./Bowie) each played well as they both scored eight points. Hudson pulled in six boards while junior Gayle Exley (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) led the team with seven caroms.

The Spartans were pounded on the glass as the taller Eagles held a significant 59-34 edge in rebounding. That led to a 25-11 margin in second-chance points and a 22-8 edge in points in the paint.

The Eagles shot 37.7% from the floor for the game while York converted just 29.1% of their attempts from the field. Both teams made six three pointers while the Eagles were 11-for-12 (91.7%) from the charity stripe while York, the top free throw shooting team in the CAC, went 11-for-17 (64.7%).

York returns to action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Wesley College to face the Wolverines. Tip time in Dover, DE is set for 2:00 pm.

Jamie Polan photo courtesy of Charlie Covell