Lions Fall to York, 89-86, Despite Late Push
by McKenzie Quirin
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team dropped a close game on Wednesday night at Adler Arena, falling 89-86 to non-conference opponent York College (Pa.) to end the Lions' two-game winning streak.
A second-half Penn State Altoona (4-6) push and multiple three-pointers on the board late in the game could not stop York (6-4) from taking home the victory.
"Glad that we played well against a good team in York. Offensively, we looked good, but defensively, we still have some things to fix," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "Next up, we have one last non-conference game before getting back to AMCC play in January."
Three Lions' starters put up double-digit points on the night. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) led the Lions with 24 points, six rebounds, six steals, and four blocks, recording his second straight 24-point night this season.
Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) and Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) also contributed double-digits in points for the Lions in their loss. Sheetz finished his night with 16 points to go along with two assists and two steals, while White had 18 points with two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
York saw double-digit point performances from four of their five starters and a reserve. Kai Cipalla led the Spartans with 20 points, while Chris Miers had 14 points off the bench. Tate Landis ended the game with 12 points, and Jackson Mascari and Jayden Rowe put up 10 points apiece.
To start the first half, Cipalla got the Spartans on the board at 19:37 from a layup to put York up 2-0. With four more quick points from two layups, Cipalla extended York's lead to 6-0, putting the Lions in an early hole. Finally getting on the board from a dunk by Jones at 17:34, Penn State Altoona cut their deficit to four, 6-2. A Mascari three-pointer put York ahead 9-2, exactly 12 seconds after the Lions' first score. With York continuing to push offensively, the Spartans continued to create a deficit for the Lions, as Cipalla and Miers made one layup apiece. In between the Spartans' layups, Sheetz connected on a three-pointer, which put Penn State Altoona down 11-5.
The Lions quickly found their footing, as they managed to close in on the Spartans' lead from Jones' jump shot and free throws and an Aidan Goodwin (Norwalk, OH/Monroeville) layup, cutting the home team's deficit to 13-11. However, York widened its advantage, gaining a 12-point lead by the 8:27 mark.
Penn State Altoona pushed back over the rest of the second half. White's layup at 4:48 got the Lions' deficit down to five points, 37-32, and baskets from Sheetz and Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) made it a three-point game, 39-36, with 3:10 left in the half. Michael Baskerville's (Damascus, MD/Damascus) layup at 1:59 got York's lead down to two, 44-42, but the Spartans did not give up their lead for the rest of the period, and York took a 52-47 advantage into halftime following a Cipalla layup to end the first half.
White, from a jump shot, got the Lions' scoring started in the second half at the 19:04 mark. A layup from Cipalla expanded the Spartans' lead to 54-49, but Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) made a big three-pointer to tie the score at 54. Bush put the Lions ahead for the first time when he made a layup to give his team a 56-54 lead, but the Spartans made a three-pointer to go back in front, 57-56.
The Lions and Spartans continued to go back-and-forth over the next several minutes. Jones' layup and free throw at 10:32 gave Penn State Altoona a 65-64 lead, but York reestablished a five-point lead, 72-67, by the 8:03 mark. Bush's three-pointer tied the score 74-74 two minutes later, and a three-pointer from Sheetz gave the Lions a 77-75 advantage at 3:47. But the Spartans responded with a 7-0 run, taking an 82-77 lead with 2:18 remaining.
Free throws from Sheetz and Jones and a jump shot from White got Penn State Altoona within reach again, cutting York's lead to 84-82 with 1:01 to play. But the Spartans increased their lead to seven points with 18 seconds left, and despite a late three-pointer from White, York ended the game holding an 89-86 lead.
Next up, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team remains at Adler Arena, as they face off at home against non-conference opponent Oberlin College on Saturday, December 30 at 2 p.m.
