BETHLEHEM, PA – The York College men's basketball team put together a complete performance on Friday night as they bounced FDU-Florham 86-57 in the opening round of the Steel Club Classic hosted by Moravian University. The Spartans now won three straight as they improve to 5-6 overall. The Devils fall to 1-10 as they have now lost four straight. The Spartans advance to face the host Greyhounds in the tournament championship game on Saturday evening in Bethlehem.
 
How It Happened
• The game got off to a slow start as neither team was able to find the mark offensively over the opening three minutes of the game. Slowly, the Spartans seized control of the game as they went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-2 lead just over five minutes into the game. The Spartan lead grew to 12-4 but the Devils scored five of the next seven points, cutting York's lead to 14-9 with 11:59 remaining in the first.
• The Spartans then hit the Devils with a 12-1 run to push the lead to 26-10 with 8:17 left in the half. The Spartans went 5-for-5 from the field on the run with four different players scoring during the spurt led by four points from Kai Cipalla.
• York finished the half strong as they outscored FDU 11-6 over the final 4:02 of the stanza as York took a 39-21 lead to the intermission. Jackson Mascari notched four of his team-leading 12 first half points during the run. Mascari had seven first half rebounds to lead the way for York. The Spartans shot 56.7% (17-for-30) from the floor in the first half while they held the Devils to 34.8% (8-for-23) shooting.
• After the Devils hit the opening bucket of the second half, York ripped off another 12-3 run to push out to a 51-26 lead. Cipalla and Jayden Rowe led the way with six points each on the run. The Devils responded with a 9-0 spurt with a trio of three pointers, cutting York's lead to 51-35 with 14:05 left in the game. York quickly responded with eight straight points as Shawn Barclay hit a lay-up followed by a Nick Schroeder three as the York was back to 21 at 56-35. Schroeder hit another three on the next possession as York pushed their advantage to 24 with 12:12 left in regulation. The spurt kept going as Pat Gilhool drilled a three out of a timeout as the Spartan lead was 62-35. Gilhool hit another three two minutes later to put York up 29 midway through the half.
• York grew the lead to as many as 31 (86-55) before settling for the 29-point win.
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans set a number of season highs in the win as they shot a season best 54.1% from the floor while they also converted a season-best 43% from three … the Spartans made a season-high 13 three-pointers in the win … York out-rebounded the Devils 32-26, their highest rebounding margin of the year … York dished out a season-high 23 assists in the win as they now have handed out 63 assists during their three-game win streak … York had 14 steals for the second straight game as they now have 38 steals in their last three games … York committed just nine turnovers, the third time this year they have had just single digits in miscues … the Spartans forced 22 FDU turnovers which they turned into 30 points … the Spartan bench bunch put together their best performance of the year as York got 44 points off the bench in the win … York never trailed in the game as they led for 38:10 of the 40 minutes of play … York had a 14-5 margin in second chance points … York's 86 points set a new season-high, the third straight game they have bettered their best offensive effort of the year (76 vs. Arcadia and 81 vs. PSU Altoona) … York is shooting 39.7% (33-for-83) from three during their three game win streak while they are shooting 51.3% (95-for-185) from the floor over the last three games.
 
Spartan Notes
The meeting is the first on the hardwood between the two programs … York will be looking to capture their first in-season tournament championship since December 30, 2017 when they won the Washington & Lee Holiday Tournament … that tournament championship featured a 90-87 win over #2 Middlebury followed by a wild 118-110 win over the host Generals … those wins were a part of the Spartans' historic 16-0 start that saw them reach fourth in the d3hoops.com national poll … the Spartans were paced by Kai Cipalla and Jackson Mascari in the victory … Cipalla tallied 14 points in 20 minutes as he was 6-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-3 at the free throw line … Mascari registered his fourth double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds as he was 5-for-8 from the floor along with two free throws … Mascari also had four assists in the win … freshman Pat Gilhool was the third Spartan in double figures as he had a career-high 10 points on three triples and a free throw … freshman Tate Landis set a career-high with seven steals while he also set a career-high with five assists in his 20 minutes of play … junior Shawn Barclay set a new career-high with eight points and two steals … junior Johnny Kennevan tied his career-high with three three-pointers made as he tallied nine points in his 18 minutes of play … sophomore Jaylen Mills made his Spartan debut in the win as he notched a steal in his two minutes of action … freshman Nafees Robinson scored his first collegiate points with a three-pointer late in the game … freshman Brendan Weaver set a new career-high with three assists … 11 of the 13 Spartans who played in the game, scored.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will squad off against the host Greyhounds in the tournament championship game on Saturday evening at 5:30 pm in Johnston Hall in Bethlehem.

Audio Highlights - Courtesy of Darrell Henry
Full Game Audio