YORK, PA – The York College men's basketball team fell behind Wesley College early and would never be able to get back on top as the Wolverines edged the Spartans 77-72 in Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon in York.

The Spartans fall to 2-6 overall and 2-1 in the CAC while the Wolverines improve to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the league.

The Wolverines blitzed the Spartans out of the gate as Wesley began the game on a 12-2 run over the first 4:24 of the contest. The Spartans chipped away as Matt Scamuffo (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) hit a triple to draw York to within seven at 14-7. The Wolverines responded by pushing the lead to 13 at 24-11. Scamuffo again brought the Spartans to within seven on a jumper with 8:42 left in the opening half. Again the Wolverines responded by pushing the lead back to 12. The Wolverines would once again build the lead to 13 on an Anthony Bowers three before Wesley settled for the 40-30 halftime lead.

The Wolverines feasted on Spartan turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of the game as Wesley forced 14 Spartan miscues and turned those mistakes into 22 points en route to the ten point lead.

The Wolverines maintained their margin early in the second half before pushing their advantage to a game-high 16 points on another Bowers three pointer with 12:26 left in the game. After an exchange of baskets, the Spartans went on a 9-2 run, trimming their deficit to nine at 60-51 with 8:19 left.

Wesley responded by pushing their advantage back to 10 on a Quincy Pettiford jumper with 5:21 remaining. Freshman Max Bell (Finksburg, Md./Francis Scott Key) started an 8-0 Spartan run with a lay up and then capped the spurt with a three-point play, bringing the Spartans to within two at 63-61. However, the Wolverines got a pair of Bowers free throw followed by a Spartan turnover and a Bowers jumper to quickly push the Wesley lead to seven in just 27 seconds. Brad Wesner (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) hit a three to get York to within four with 2:23 left in regulation.

The Wesley lead would bounce between three and five points over the next minute in a half. Tyler Alcid (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll) hit a pair of free throws to bring the Green and White to within three with 11 seconds left but the Wolverines would go 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 8.9 seconds of the game to seal the win.

Bowers led the Wolverines as he poured in a season-high 20 points. Bowers was 7-for-13 from the floor including 5-for-8 from three and 1-for-1 from the stripe. Jordan Johnson added 16 points on a very efficient 7-for-9 performance from the field and 2-for-4 from the line. Dontae Johns and A.J. Tilghman each added ten points. Tilghman added nine assists, seven rebounds, and six steals in 35 minutes of action.

York placed four players in double figures led by Dalton Myers (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) and Scamuffo as they each notched 12 points. Myers was 6-for-10 from the floor while he also pulled in six rebounds, had two assists, and also had one block and one steal. Scamuffo's 12 points is a new career high for the freshman. He was 5-for-9 from the floor including one three while he was also 1-for-3 from the line. Alcid and Wesner each contributed 10 points to the Spartan offense. Bell chipped in with nine points and five rebounds in his 22 minutes of action.

Turnovers proved to be the demise of the Spartans as they finished the game with a season-high 27 turnovers. The Wolverines converted those mistakes into 36 points in the win. York dominated the glass, outrebounding their guests 42-28.

York finished the game shooting 44.6% from the floor including 23.1% (3-for-13) from three. The Spartans converted a season-high 19 free throws on 26 attempts (73.1%).

Wesley finished the game shooting 48.4% from the floor while they hit 7-for-19 (36.8%) from three. The Wolverines went 10-for-16 at the line including their last four attempts late in the game.

The Spartans will now break for Christmas before returning to the hardwood on Monday, December 29 when they head to Washington, D.C. to participate in the CUA-Holiday Inn College Park Classic. The Spartans face the host Catholic Cardinals in the opening round at 5:00 pm. Guilford and Southern Maine are the other two squads participating in the two-day tournament.

Matt Scamuffo photo courtesy of Joe Rodgers