ANNVILLE, PA – The York College women's basketball team outlasted Lebanon Valley, 65-62, in a wild MAC Commonwealth contest in Annville, PA on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans came from behind in the fourth quarter but then had to hold on for dear life as LVC made three three-point field goals in the final 19 seconds of the game to turn a comfortable win into a nail bitter. York held the Dutchmen off by going 6-for-8 from the line over the final 22 seconds of the game.
York improves to 8-14 overall and 5-8 in the MAC Commonwealth. LVC falls to 11-10 overall and 7-5 in the league as they had their brief two game win streak snapped.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a quick 8-3 lead just over three minutes into the game. York led the remainder of the first quarter, matching their early five-point lead at the end of the period on a pair of Alyssa Hocker free throws with 18 seconds left.
• The Dutchmen kicked off the second quarter with a quick 7-0 spurt to take an 18-16 lead. York finally got on the board just over four minutes into the period when Taylor Burda hit a driving lay-up. That began four straight possessions where each team scored as the Dutchmen emerged from the flurry with a 23-21 lead, just under midway through the half. LVC then scored six straight points to push out to a 28-21 lead with 3:54 left. York outscored the Dutchmen 5-3 over the final three minutes of the quarter to head to the locker room trailing 31-26.  
• York got off to good start to the third as they began the half with a 7-2 spurt to tie the game at 33. LVC responded with back-to-back buckets but the remainder of the quarter would be back and forth. The Dutchmen took a 44-40 lead on a Riley Hevelow three but Hocker answered with a bucket as York headed to the fourth down two at 44-42.
• The fourth quarter started with a Daelyn Stabler jumper to give the Dutchmen a four-point lead. That would be their largest lead the rest of the way. York scored ten of the next 15 points of the game as they pushed out to a 52-51 lead with 4:18 remaining. York was 4-for-5 from the floor including a three pointer and a free throw. LVC got a Riley Hevelow hit a jumper that gave the Dutchmen their last lead of the game with 3:50 left. York answered with an 8-0 run, powered by Bradi Zumbrum as she had seven points on the run. That spurt gave York a 60-53 lead.
• The Dutchmen then went nuts from three as they got a triple from Kailey Eckhart with 19 seconds left. York's Hocker split a pair of free throws as the York lead was 61-56. Eckhard did it again on the next possession answered by two Savannah Wilson free throws as the Spartan lead was 63-59. Jordan Zimmerman cashed out a third three for the Dutchmen, trimming York's lead two one but Zumbrum hit two free throws with one second left to provide for the final three-point margin of victory.
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 44% (22-for-50) from the floor while LVC made just 38.1% of their attempts from the field … the Dutchmen did made 11 threes to just six for York … the Spartans held a huge 15-3 edge in free throws made including a 12-0 bulge in the fourth quarter … York out-rebounded the Dutchmen by 10 but it only led to a 10-9 margin in second chance points … the Spartans committed 13 turnovers which led to 12 LVC points … York won the points in the paint total 22-14 … the Dutchmen placed four players in double figures led by Riley Hevelow as she tossed in 17 points to go along with four rebounds and an assist … Kailey Eckhart poured in 14 points in a mere 11 minutes of play as she was 5-for-7 from the floor including 4-of-6 from three … Jordan Zimmerman chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds, and one assist in 28 minutes of action … the MAC Commonwealth's leading scorer Kate Fitzpatrick finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds but was held eight points below her season average … Fitzpatrick was harassed into 4-for-19 shooting including 2-for-8 from three … she added five assists for the Dutchmen … Daelyn Stabler was the only other Dutchman to score as she had eight points.
 
Spartan Notes
The two teams split the regular season series, the final as MAC Commonwealth opponents as the Dutchmen are heading to the MAC Freedom next fall … the Spartans lead the all-time series between the two teams, 10-6 … the win snaps a three-game losing streak … the 65 points are the most York has scored since they hung 83 on Delaware Valley on December 18 … the Spartans' 15 made free throws were the most since York made 19 against Delaware Valley … York's four steals were their lowest since they were credited with two in the December 14 game against Alvernia … senior Bradi Zumbrum had another huge day with 25 points and ten rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year … Zumbrum entered the game as the MAC Commonwealth's second-leading scorer by a full point but begins Sunday morning trailing Kate Fitzgerald by just 0.2 points in the scoring race (17.6 to 17.4) … Zumbrum was 9-for-14 from the floor including 7-for-8 from the free throw line … she also had four assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes played … Zumbrum now has 499 career rebounds as a Spartan … the 25 points for Zumbrum tied her career high, a mark she has reached four times this year … Zumbrum is second in the league in scoring, third in rebounding, third in free throw percentage and fifth in field goal percentage … Taylor Burda added 11 rebounds, five rebounds and one assist while also being charged with guarding Fitzgerald for a majority of the game … senior Tori Geitner was the third Spartan in double figures with 10 points while she pulled in a career-high eight rebounds in the win as she played all 40 minutes in the game … senior Savannah Wilson chipped in with eight points, five rebounds and two assists … Wilson currently leads the Commonwealth in assists and assist to turnover ratio.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return to action on Wednesday evening when they travel to Owings Mills to face the Stevenson University Mustangs. The MAC Commonwealth contest is set for an 8:00 pm tip time.