TRENTON, NJ – The York College men's basketball team staged a late game comeback only to fall to Drew University 73-68 in the opening round of the TCNJ Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the College of New Jersey on Friday evening.
The Spartans will face Saint Elizabeth in the tournament consolation game on Saturday as they look to gain a tournament split.
 
Score: York 68, Drew 73
Records: York 1-1, Drew 1-1
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a great start in the game as Colin Rimel hit back-to-back threes to start the contest. The York lead grew to 8-0 before the Rangers got on the board. Drew then went on a prolonged 19-10 run to take a one-point lead with 7:55 remaining in the opening half.
• The Rangers pushed out to a five-point lead until the Spartans tied the game at 28 on a Logan Collins three pointer. The game would be tied again at 30 before the Rangers ended the half on a 9-2 run to take a 39-32 lead at the break.
• The Rangers maintained control of the game over the early stages of the second half. Drew pushed their lead to a game-high 12 points on a David Gervase jumper with 8:42 left in regulation.
• The Spartans ripped off a quick 7-0 spurt to draw to within five at 60-55 at the 7:12 mark. A Howard McBurnie three put Drew back up eight but York scored eight straight with three pointers from Travis Stoll and Chris Miers followed by a scoop and score from Miers to tie the game at 63. The teams exchanged buckets on their next possession and Miers hit a jumper with 3:45 left to give York a 67-65 lead.
• McBurnie tied the game at 67 with another lay up but David Giuliani split a pair of free throws with 2:40 left to put York up 68-67. That would be the last Spartan points of the game as the Rangers scored the final six points of the game. Drew went 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:41 to secure the important regional victory.
 
Spartan Leaders
Logan Collins: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots 1 steal
David Giuliani: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot
Chris Miers: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Colin Rimel: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Travis Stoll: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans shot 41.7% from the field which was three percentage points better than Drew but the Rangers attempted 15 more shots than York and made four more field goals in the game … York turned the ball over 17 times which turned in 21 points for Drew … York was an efficient 9-for-21 (42.9%) from three … the game featured 11 total blocked shots, four coming from Drew's Howard McBurnie as he also had 21 points, 13 rebounds three assists, and six steals in a big performance for the Rangers … York lost the points in the paint battle 32-28 … Drew held an 18-8 edge in fast break points … York's bench outscored the Drew bench 17-14 … The game featured six ties and three lead changes.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 2-1 all-time against Drew as the Spartans had won the previous two meetings … the last time the teams played was January 7, 2005 when York beat the Rangers 76-54 in the opening round of the White Rose City Classic in York … junior Logan Collins tied his career high with 18 points, one game after setting a new career mark with nine assists in the win over Dickinson … Collins also tied a career-high with two blocked shots … sophomore Chris Miers tied his career high with nine points, matching his output from his first collegiate game against Dickinson on Monday … Miers is shooting 63.6% (7-for-11) from the floor including 4-of-7 (57.1%) from three.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will face Saint Elizabeth in the consolation game on Saturday at 3:00 pm. The Eagles lost to TCNJ 73-49 in the tournament's first semifinal game on Friday night.