NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The York College men's basketball team ran into an offensive buzz saw on Saturday afternoon in Newport News, Virginia as the Christopher Newport Captains picked up a 95-61 Capital Athletic Conference win.

The Cardinals improve to 8-3 overall and 3-1 in the CAC. The Spartans drop to 3-8 overall and 2-2 in the CAC.

The final score isn't indicative of the Spartans play in the game. It's an indication of the long distance shooting the Captains dialed up in the win. CNU finished the game with a school-record 18 three point field goals as they nailed nine triples in each half of play.

The game was close early on as York held an 11-5 lead three minutes into the game. The Captains tied the game and that started a stretch of back-and-forth basketball as neither team could secure significant momentum. The Captains went on a 12-5 spurt to take a 31-23 lead with 7:23 left in the first half. York would draw to within three on a trio of Matt Scamuffo (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) free throws with 6:27 remaining on the clock. The Captains would outscore the Spartans 10-4 to take a 41-32 lead with 46 seconds left. Scamuffo hit his fourth three of the half to cut the Spartan halftime deficit to 41-35.

The Captains blitzed the Green and White with a 17-6 run to start the second half as they put a chokehold on the game. The Spartans drew to within 14 twice but that is as close as they would get. CNU outscored the Spartans 54-26 in the second half as they shot 60% from the floor and 56.3% from three.

CNU placed four players in double figures led by Mike Cherry as he poured in 24 points in 29 minutes of play. Cherry was 9-for-11 from the floor including 6-for-8 from three. He also had four assists, two rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. Connor Laframboise contributed 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in his 28 minutes of action. Tim Daly recorded 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists while Marcus Carter was the fourth Captain in double figures with 12 points.

The Captains shot 55.7% from the floor for the game while they finished at 51.4% (18-for-35) from three. CNU was 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the charity stripe.

Scamuffo led the Spartans with a career-high 21 points. The freshman guard was 5-for-10 from the floor including 4-for-7 from three while he was 7-for-10 from the free throw line. Scamuffo added four rebounds and three steals in the contest. Sophomore Dalton Myers (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) had a strong performance in the loss as he tossed in 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Myers was an efficient 8-for-12 from the floor including one three while he was 1-for-2 at the stripe. Sophomore Blake Straitman (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key) pulled in seven rebounds in just 15 minutes for York off the bench.

York shot 37% for the game from the floor while they were 6-for-13 (46.2%) from three. The Spartans were solid at the free throw line, converting 21-of-28 (75%) in the contest.

CNU edged York 33-32 on the glass while York had a 9-6 margin in second chance points. The Captains turned the 22 Spartan turnovers into 30 points while CNU finished with a 10-2 bulge in fast break points.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday night when they host Marymount University in a Capital Athletic Conference contest. Tip time at Charles Wolf Gymnasium is set for 8:00 pm.

Matt Scamuffo photo courtesy of David Sinclair