Tension cut through the air as the York Spartans averted an
upset from the young Bison in overtime, 78-73. Gallaudet kept up
its defense well against the Spartans, which forced them to rely on
Chad McGowan for 16 of their 28 points in the half. The game was
revitalized with a resounding alley-oop pass from Jon Mowl to Sekoe
White, who completed it with a dunk at 12:26.
The alley-oop
served as a catalyst, feeding the ensuing Bison charge. Good
passing and solid defense allowed the Buff and Blue to increase
their lead in steady allotments, until the half. White was the star
of the offense, opening with great accuracy from the field and the
line, and leading all scorers with 18 points off 7-for-11 shooting
going into the half. Spartan McGowan countered with 16 points,
mostly through the paint and from the free throw line. The Buff and
Blue pulled away, and went into the locker room with a 41-28
lead.
The second
half saw a different tack. The Bison came out cold, and York
capitalized, quickly storming back. Ten minutes would elapse before
the Spartans would take the lead, for the first time since the
opening minutes. However, Gallaudet chipped in with baskets at
critical moments to stay in the battle. White continued his stellar
play, and it remained a close game, until Mowl's fifth foul.
On the same play, he would be injured and be taken out, leaving a
considerable gap in the Bison offense (9 points, 5 assists). York
took control of the game, despite White's rallying the troops
and refusing to give in. Fans watched as the junior guard filled in
for his teammate, taking over the manning of the Bison offense,
keeping the momentum going with deft passes and silky smooth
shooting. The last minute saw exciting action, but neither team
managed to capitalize at the end of regulation.
In overtime,
the loss of Mowl's point guard abilities became apparent as
shots began to bounce away from the rim, and York began to pour in
treys from the perimeter. The Bison could not find scoring
opportunities in between the seams of the Spartan defense. The game
closed with some clutch efforts from the Buff and Blue to create
turnovers, and a White three was launched at the buzzer, finding
the bottom of the net, making the final score 78-73.
White
finished with a game-high 35 points, contrasted by McGowan's
26 points. Bison center Onye Davis fought hard under the boards,
posting 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds, drawing critical
Spartan fouls that contributed to Gallaudet's 85% free throw
night.
The Bison
(4-15, 1-9 CAC) travel to Salisbury State University (9-9, 4-5 CAC)
on Saturday, February 3rd. Tip time is at 7:30
p.m.
