York, Pa. (March 1, 2025) - #2 York College (21-6) used a strong start to the second half to power past #4 Alvernia University (16-11), 82-67, on Saturday afternoon in the title game of the 2025 MAC Commonwealth Championship at York College.

Alvernia trailed by just eight at the half, 40-32, but the Spartans came out of the break and used an 18-4 run to pull away from the Golden Wolves as York claimed its first MAC Commonwealth title.

The Golden Wolves held the early 4-0 lead with layups from Jakob Kelly and Elijah Hamilton. Alvernia then held a 6-3 lead through the first two minutes off a Robert Cottrell. But, the Spartans took the lead, 7-6, two possessions later after back-to-back layups from Jackson Mascari and Kai Cipalla for the Spartans. 

Alvernia tied the game up at 9-9 on a made 3-pointer from Robert Mullan with 15:53 to play in the opening half, but the Spartans retook the lead on a Tate Landis layup on their next possession. Landis' layup would prove to be the final go-ahead basket for the Spartans, who did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. The Golden Wolves closed within two, 22-20, on a Naji Hamilton layup with eight minutes to play, but York built its lead right back up and took the eight point lead, 40-32, into the half.

The Spartans opened the second half out-scoring the Golden Wolves 18-4 through the first four and a half minutes of the second half to take an 18 point lead, 54-36. The Spartans made it a 20 point game, 60-40, on a 3-pointer with 14:14 to play. Alvernia never got within 15 points until the final seconds as York took the 82-67 win.

Alvernia was led by Elijah Hamilton, who finished the afternoon with a team-high 16 points off of 7-for-9 shooting. Jakob Kelly and Robert Cottrell had 12 points each, and Kelly had a team-high eight rebounds. 

York finished the afternoon shooting 10-for-23 from 3-point range, and 30-for-57 from the floor. York shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range in the second half, and 16-for-27 from the floor. Alvernia finished the afternoon shooting 25-for-52 from the floor and 5-for-10 from 3-point range.

Alvernia will await a possible ECAC selection, while York advances into the NCAA tournament.