NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Sam Mocniak nailed a go-ahead three, her sixth of the game, in the final minute to propel the York College women's basketball team to an 87-85 win over Christopher Newport University on Saturday in Capital Athletic Conference action. Mocniak finished with a team-high 20 points, and Katie McGowan scored 19 for York, as the Spartans clinched the third seed in the CAC playoffs.

RECORDS

York (Pa.): 17-8, 13-5 CAC

Christopher Newport: 22-3, 16-2 CAC

TEAM STATS

FG Shooting (%): York 31-for-65 (47.7%), CNU 29-for-70 (41.4%)

Three Point Shooting (%): York 14-for-27 (51.9%), CNU 7-for-23 (30.4%)

Free Throw Shooting (%): York 11-for-15 (73.3%), CNU 20-for-26 (76.9%)

Rebounding: York 39, CNU 42

Assists: York 18, CNU 18

Turnovers: York 20, CNU 14

Blocked Shots: York 2, CNU 3

Steals: York 7, CNU 16

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Captains opened up an 8-2 lead, but Morgan Kuehne answered with a three pointer. Sam Mocniak scored on the next possession to trim the lead to 8-7. Beth Wiseley was the next to score, drilling a three to tie the game at 10-10. The Spartans took their first lead of the game on a Molly Day jumper. All together, York managed a 10-0 run, including a three from Mocniak, who has been on fire from beyond the arc lately, to take a 17-10 lead. Day hit a three to push the lead to eight with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter. CNU would trim the deficit to two, but with 10 seconds left, Wiseley made a layup despite being fouled, and knocked home the ensuing free throw for a 23-18 lead.

• Katie Wagner scored the first bucket of the second quarter, opening the lead back to seven. The long ball buoyed the Spartans throughout the first half and, despite going scoreless for two minutes, York still led thanks to a pair of threes from Mocniak, sandwiching a three from Haley Luckabaugh. Mocniak converted her first three shots from beyond the arc, after entering the game making 21-for-36 from deep in the last six games. York suffered through a run of turnovers, but a pair of free throws from Day ended that drought. The Captains closed within two points, but again Day stepped up, nailing a three. With just 1:18 left, York led just 41-39, but the Green and White finished the half with a flurry. Both Wiseley and Kuehne made a pair of free throws and then Luckabaugh knocked in a three pointer from well beyond the arc at the buzzer, taking a 48-39 lead to the halftime break. York was 9-for-15 from three in the first half, led by three from Mocniak.

• A bucket from Katie McGowan gave York a double-digit lead at 52-42 with 8:29 to play in the third. CNU immediately answered with an 8-0 run, trimming the lead to 52-50 before Mocniak made another three. She nailed another one with just under two minutes to play, again pushing the lead to five. Both teams went back and forth throughout the third, and CNU was as close as one point when Wiseley corralled an offensive rebound and her put back just beat the buzzer, giving the Spartans a three-point lead after three, at 64-61.

• York scored the first five points of the fourth, led off by a three from McGowan. The lead grew to eight early, but quickly CNU closed it to four. McGowan nailed another three to push it back to seven, and she converted an old fashioned three-point play before the Captains made their final run. With 3:47 left, York led just 82-79, and after free throws the lead was just one. Another bucket from McGowan pushed it back to three. In the final minute, the Green and White led 84-83, but CNU earned a bucket to take the lead at 85-84. Mocniak, who has been gigantic for the Spartans of late, drilled another massive three to take the lead back at 87-85 with 37 seconds to play. On the defensive end, York earned two stops in a row, McGowan brought down the rebound and chucked it down the court as time expired to seal an 87-85 win on the road.

SPARTAN LEADERS

Sam Mocniak: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

Katie McGowan: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Beth Wiseley: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Molly Day: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

CAPTAIN LEADERS

Bailey Dufrene: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists

Sam Porter: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

Micah Maloney: 13 points, 7 rebounds

GAME NOTES

York is now 6-10 all-time against the Captains … it dropped the last six meetings with CNU, including a 75-72 loss on January 13 earlier this season … York clinches the third seed in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs and will host Frostburg State on Tuesday … the 14-made threes as a team is a season-high and second-most made in a game in school history … Sam Mocniak finished with 20 points, just three days after dropping 17 on St. Mary's on Wednesday … Mocniak has scored at least 13 for the fifth time in six games … through the first 16 games, she averaged 7.4 ppg, but has averaged 14.9 ppg … she finished with six threes, marking the third time in four games with at least five made … six threes matches the third-most made in a game in school history, also tying her career high from earlier this season … Katie McGowan scored 19 points, the fourth time in the last five games she has scored at least 14 … she has pulled down six rebounds in the last six games … Molly Day scored a career-high 10 points.

UP NEXT

The Capital Athletic Conference playoffs begin on Tuesday. The Spartans will host the opening round at Charles Wolf Gymnasium against the six-seeded Frostburg State. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. Please visit ycpspartans.com for all information.

Audio Highlights courtesy of Darrell Henry - the Voice of the Spartans