READING, PA – The York College women's basketball team dropped their second straight as Alvernia University posted a 72-54 win in MAC Commonwealth action on Saturday afternoon in Reading.
The Golden Wolves hurt the Spartans from downtown as they converted 10 triples in the game. Alvernia used those threes to pull away late in the second quarter and cruise to the win.
The Spartans are now 13-8 overall and 6-4 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Golden Wolves are now also 13-8 overall while they are 5-5 in league play.
 
How It Happened
• The Wolves jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as the Spartans were ice cold early as they were 0-for-6 to start the game. The finally broke the seal on the hoop with an Alyssa Hocker bucket with 6:46 left in the first quarter. That bucket started an 8-2 Spartan run that gave York a short-lived 8-7 lead with 3:30 left in the first. After Alvernia scored five straight points, the Spartans scored six straight with Georgia Panopoulos notching a bucket and a pair of free throws on the spurt. Alvernia scored the final four points of the quarter as they led 16-14 heading to the second quarter.
• The Spartans got a Breana Grim three to start the second as York led 17-16. The Wolves then hit the Spartans with a lengthy 15-6 lead that covered 6:20 of game time. Meghan Ruth led the way with five points while Kayla Williams and Tamia Wessels each added three points. Panopoulos hit a lay-up to get the Spartans with within six at 31-25 but Alvernia scored the final four points of the quarter to take a 35-25 lead at the break.
• The Spartans were cold from the floor as Alvernia held York to 27% shooting in the first half while the Wolves shot 36.1% including 4-for-14 from three. York had a 29-23 advantage in rebounding but that only led to a 2-0 margin in second-chance points. Turnovers hurt York in the opening 20 minutes as Alvernia scored 11 points off York's eight turnovers.
• The Wolves got off to a hot start in the opening minutes of the third quarter as they hit York with a 12-3 over the first 4:41 of the period. Alvernia was 5-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-3 from three as they pushed the lead to 19. The Spartans got off the canvas and scored seven straight points, cutting their deficit to 12. However, the Wolves drained a pair of wide-open looks from distance to take a 53-35 lead after three quarters of play.
• The fourth didn't start much better as Taliyah Malone hit a third straight three to push the lead to 21 a mere 26 seconds into the final period. The Wolves outscored York 9-2 to start the quarter and remove all doubt about the final result. Alvernia pushed their lead to a game-high 25 on a Taylor Meagher's three-point play, making the score 72-47. York scored the final seven points of the game to provide for Alvernia's final 18-point margin of victory.
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans finished the game shooting 27.4% as they were 20-for-73 from the floor while they were 4-for-16 (25%) from distance … both teams went 10-for-12 (83.3%) from the free throw line … Alvernia shot 39.4% (26-for-66) from distance while they dialed up a long distance shooting percentage of 37%, hitting 10-of-27 for the game … Alvernia won the battle on the glass as they finished the game with a 51-45 as they out-rebounded York 28-16 in the second half … Alvernia finished the game with a 5-4 edge in second chance points … both teams scored 22 points in the paint … Alvernia blocked seven shots while York was not credited with a block in the game … York won the battle of turnovers as they had 12 while Alvernia had 15 but the Wolves created 19 points off the 12 Spartan miscues … Alvernia had an 13-8 edge in fast break points … Alvernia had 21 assists on their 26 field goals while York had nine helpers on their 20 made field goals … there were six ties and 12 lead changes during the game … Alvernia led for 89.7% (35:53 of play) of the game.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 12-9 all-time against the Golden Wolves … the two teams split the season series and the two teams are 3-3 against each other as MAC Commonwealth opponents … the Spartans have lost three of their last four after a three game winning streak … the Spartans have been hurt by opponents three pointers as Alvernia cashed in 10 triples in their win … York has allowed 33 made three-pointers in the last four games … the Spartans had seven more field goal attempts but made six less in the game … York got out-rebounded for the 11^th time this year and they are now 3-8 when losing the battle on the glass … the Spartans have done a much better job of taking care of the ball as they are averaging just 13.8 turnovers per game in their last four games … York failed to block a shot for the third time this year … senior Alyssa Hocker registered her fourth straight double-double as she led the way with 13 points and 13 rebounds .. she also had two steals and one assist in her 33 minutes of play … Hocker was the lone Spartan in double figures … Breana Grim added nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in her 31 minutes of action … Georgia Panopoulos contributed nine points for the Green and White … sophomore Rosalynn Diehl set a new career high as she drilled a pair of three pointers for six points in her seven minutes on the floor.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return to Reading on Wednesday night as they head to Albright to face the Lions in another MAC Commonwealth contest. Tip time on Wednesday evening is set for 6:00 pm.