SALISBURY, MD – The York College Spartans saw their 2014-15 season come to an end in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals as the top seeded Salisbury posted a 76-61 tournament win.

The Sea Gulls move on to their first CAC championship game since 2003 as they will host second seeded Mary Washington on Saturday. The Sea Gulls improve to 24-2 overall. The Spartans conclude their year of transition with a mark of 12-15. The Spartans have advanced to the CAC Tournament semifinals for ten straight seasons.

The Spartans' season began with York replacing a quartet of four-year starters. The season ends with the Spartans poised to again become a force in the upper echelon of the conference standings.

The two squads went back and forth in the early stages of the game before York seized control with a 13-5 run as York pushed out to a 10 point lead, 32-22, with 2:31 left in the first half. Much like the Gulls did in the first two meetings between the two squads, Salisbury made a late spurt to cut the York lead to three with 37 seconds remaining prior to the half. Senior Shea Wassel (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) hit a bucket with 20 ticks left to give York the 34-29 lead at the half.

The Spartans hung onto the lead until Anna Hackett hit a driving lay up to put the Gulls up 45-44 with 10:05 left in the game. York quickly answered with an 8-0 run to take a short lived 52-45 lead with 7:27 left.

Salisbury responded like a championship caliber team as the Sea Gulls went on an 11-2 run to take a 56-54 lead. The Spartans wouldn't go away as they hit four straight free throws to take their final lead of the night at 58-56 with 4:14 left.

The script for the remainder of the game followed the previous two meetings as the Sea Gulls dominated the final four minutes of play. Salisbury hit York with a 13-1 run, turning a two point Spartan lead into a 10 point Salisbury bulge. York cut it to eight points but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the way. Salisbury hit four straight free throws in the final minute while Melanie Moncniak added a three pointer with eight seconds left to cap the scoring. The final 15 point margin was no indication of the first 36 minutes of the game.

Spartan head coach Betsy Witman was proud of her young team.

"I thought our seniors played well tonight and I am happy they each played well in their final collegiate games," said Witman. "I told our kids that we have nothing to hang our heads about. Salisbury is a very talented team and they are a team that has the chance to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. I am proud of how hard we competed and gave them a great game. I would have loved to win but I know that our kids did everything they could."

The Sea Gulls were led by the probable CAC Player of the Year in Hackett as she tallied a team-high 21 points while she also had eight assists and five rebounds in the win. Hackett was 7-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-8 from three and 4-for-5 from the line. Mocniak added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in her 26 minutes of action. She was 8-for-12 from the floor including the late three point field goal as she gave Salisbury a huge effort in the paint. Sarah Seipp added 18 points, seven assists and four steals for the Gulls.

Wassel led the Spartans as she poured in 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked one shot. Wassel was 9-for-13 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line in the game. Sophomore standout Sam Hruz (White Marsh, Md./Mercy) notched her fourth double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Hruz, the CAC leader in blocked shots, swatted away three more as she finishes the season with 68 blocked shots which is second on the Spartans' single-season list. Hruz was 3-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the free throw line.

Senior Jess Selby (Upper Marlboro, N.J./Calverton School) finished her York career in fine fashion as she tallied 14 points in 23 minutes of action. Selby was 6-for-8 from the floor including 2-for-3 from three. Sophomore Morgan Golec (Abingdon, Md./Patterson Mill) was the fourth Spartan in double figures as she added 10 points while she also had four rebounds.

The Spartans finished the game shooting 43.4% from the floor while Salisbury converted 42.6% of their shots. The problem for York was that Salisbury attempted 15 more shots while they made six more field goals. The Sea Gulls held a big edge behind the arc as they went 10-of-27 (37%) while York was just 5-for-20 (25%) from distance. Neither team was great at the free throw line as York was 10-for-15 while Salisbury was 8-for-13.

The Sea Gulls held a big advantage on the glass as Salisbury outrebounded York 39-32. That led to the Gulls having a 19-6 margin in second chance points. Salisbury also forced 18 Spartan turnovers, which they turned into 23 points. Salisbury had 11 turnovers but just three in the decisive second half.

The Spartans must say goodbye to Wassel, Selby and Kailee Knight (Crofton, Md./South River) as they have played their final game for the Spartans.

Shea Wassel photo courtesy of David Sinclair