York, Pa. (Jan. 3, 2023) - Tamia Wessels became the 13th player in program history to score 1,000 points, but Alvernia University fell to York College, 67-65, on a last second layup by the Spartans in the MAC Commonwealth opener on Wednesday night at York.

Alvernia took a narrow one point lead into the second half. The Spartans and Golden Wolves then played a back-and-forth final 20 minutes, with neither team able to gain more than a two possession advantage. The Spartans then hit the game-winner and forced Alvernia to run out of time on Alvernia's last shot attempt.

With the win, Alvernia dropped to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in MAC Commonwealth play. The Spartans improved to 7-4 and 1-0 in conference play.

How it Happened

• The Spartans and Golden Wolves traded early layups, with Kayla Williams netting Alvernia's first two points of the game. 
• Alvernia then scored the next four points off a Tamia Wessels free throw and Taliyah Malone 3-pointer to take the 6-2 advantage after 2:16 of action.
• The Spartans then went on a 19-7 run over the next 6:24 to take a 21-13 lead over Alvernia with one minute to play in the quarter.
• A Malone 3-pointer closed out the first quarter scoring and brought Alvernia within five, 21-16, going into the second frame.
• Both teams went scoreless in the first two minutes of the second quarter and a layup in transition from Ryleigh Poole brought Alvernia within three, 21-8. Poole's layup marked the start of a 15-2 for the Golden Wolves as Alvernia's defense locked down the Spartans for nearly ten minutes spanning the end of the first quarter and well into the second quarter. Williams scored six during the run and Poole added five. Alvernia forced five turnovers by the Spartans during those seven minutes as Alvernia took a 31-23 lead.
• A pair of made free throws got the Spartans back on track as York scored the final seven points of the half to make it just a one point game, 31-30 going into the break.
• Alvernia shot 29% through the first 20 minutes and forced 11 Spartan turnovers. Malone led Alvernia's scoring efforts in the first half with 12 points - all of which came off of 3-pointers. 
• York took the lead on the opening possession of the second half, but Alvernia answered with a jumper to take it right back. Back-to-back 3-pointers then gave the Spartans a 38-33 advantage, but a Wessels 3-pointer brought Alvernia back within two. 
• The Spartans held a slight advantage, 40-39, with 5:31 to play in the third quarter following a made free throw by Wessels, but Alvernia did not retake the lead until the final seconds of the quarter.
• With Alvernia trailing by six, 50-44, with 1:34 to play in the third, Alvernia scored seven straight to close out the quarter and take a 51-50 lead into the final frame. Jordan Karmonick knocked down a 3-pointer and Williams and Malone each hit a layup to give Alvernia the one point edge.
• A steal and fastbreak layup from Wessels gave Alvernia a three point advantage, 55-52, with 7:29 to play and also marked Wessels' 1,000th career point.
• Alvernia then pushed it to a four point game, 58-54, a minute and a half later, but York tied it up at 58-58 with 5:40 to play and took the 60-58 lead just over a minute later.
• Alvernia tied it up twice over the next two minutes before Wessels hit a 3-pointer to give Alvernia the 65-62 advantage.
• The Spartans answered with a 3-pointer of their own with 1:54 to play. Neither team scored for the next 1:49 until York's Taylor Burda hit the game-winning layup with 5.1 to play. It was her 25th point of the night.
• Alvernia used a timeout and advanced the ball up the court. The Golden Wolves inbounded it and found Malone just off the left post. The Spartans tried to foul her with a foul to spare, but were unsuccessful before Malone shuffle passed it to Kylie Bradford as the buzzer sounded.

Inside the Box Score

• Williams and Wessels both finished with a team-high 17 points. Malone finished with 14 points, but was held to just two points in the second half.
• Wessels also led Alvernia with eight rebounds and six steals. 
• Burda led the Spartans with 25 points and Alyssa Hocker finished with a 19 point, 12 rebound double-double for York.

Of Note

• Alvernia scored 23 points off of 24 Spartan turnovers, while the Golden Wolves turned the ball over just eight times. Alvernia had 17 steals on the night. Alvernia's eight turnovers marked a season-low while its 17 steals were just two off a season-high.
• Alvernia was out-rebounded 50-35. The Golden Wolves are 0-4 when outrebounded this season.
• With the win, York put an end to a two game slide against Alvernia. The Golden Wolves are now 8-12 all-time against York.

Up Next

• Alvernia will host Albright College on Saturday afternoon in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader with the men. The Lions are coming off a 73-56 loss to Messiah earlier this evening. Albright will bring a 3-9 record into Saturday following seven straight loses.
• The Lions hold a 24-20 series record over the Golden Wolves, but Alvernia won the last matchup in the MAC Commonwealth semifinal last season. Alvernia eliminated the Lions from postseason play with a 68-51 win.