CHESTER, PA – The York College men's basketball squad fell behind big early but battled back only to fall 82-74 at Widener in MAC Commonwealth action on Wednesday night in Chester, PA. The Pride built a 19-point lead early in the game but the Spartans made it a game midway through the second half before falling late. The loss snaps York's two game win streak.
 
Score: York 74, Widener 82
Records: York 5-4 (2-2 MAC Commonwealth), Widener 5-4 (1-3 MAC Commonwealth)
 
How It Happened
• York led 4-2 very early but the Pride hit the Spartans with a 13-0 spurt to push out to a 15-4 advantage. The Pride kept their foot on the gas petal as they fashioned a 13-3 run that increased their lead to 19 at 28-9. The Spartans fought back as they were on the brink of getting blown out. York trimmed the lead to 12 thanks to a 9-2 run of their own.
• Widener quickly pushed the lead back to 19 but York once again picked themselves off the mat and hit their hosts with a 12-0 run, capped with a Travis Stoll three, cutting their deficit to seven. Widener scored the next four points but Matt Faller hit a three with 20 seconds left in the half as the Spartans headed to the break down eight at 41-33.
• The Pride pushed the lead back to 15 four minutes into the second half. York continued to scrap and claw and eventually tied the game at 57 on a David Giuliani three pointer with 9:08 left in the game. Widener answered by with quick six-point spurt. Sean Kelly hit a three with 5:54 left, drawing York to within three at 65-62. That was as close as York got the rest of the way as Widener scored the next seven points to push the lead back to ten before settling for the eight point win.
 
Spartan Leaders
Travis Stoll: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 8-for-11 FG, 2-for-4 3PT FG
Sean Kelly: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 5-for-8 FG, 3-for-5 3PT FG
David Giuliani: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Chris Miers: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans committed a season-high 25 turnovers in the game and Widener turned those miscues into 30 points … Widener outscored York 56-38 in the paint … York tied a season low with just 13 free throw attempts and they made a season-low six … York made 10 three pointers and that's the third time this year they have reached double figures in three pointers made … York shot over 40% from three for the fourth time this year … Widener placed all five starters in double figures led by Matt Daulerio's 19 points to go along with nine rebounds … Widener was credited with 16 steals in the game … York was outrebounded by four in the game and that snaps a streak of five games in which the Spartans have won the battle on the boards.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 1-5 all-time against Widener … the Pride has won three straight in the series … the game is the first between the two programs since November 22, 2008 when Widener earned an 87-75 victory in Chester … senior Travis Stoll set a career-high with 18 points while he also had a career-high four steals … Stoll has reached double figures in five games including three of the last four … Stoll has a team-high 20 steals in nine games … Chris Miers pulled in a career-high five rebounds in the game … Matt Faller played a career-high 23 minutes and pulled in a career-high three rebounds … Mark Rachic tied his career-high with six points with his two three pointers made.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return to Wolf Gymnasium on Saturday to host Arcadia in a MAC Cross Over contest. Tip time in York is set for 3:00 pm.    

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