Bethany, Okla. - The York College Panthers defeated the Southwestern Christian University men's basketball team 80-71 in a high-intensity thriller on Saturday afternoon at the Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
The Eagles and Panthers (11-10; 4-1 MCAC) traded the lead a total of eight times in the first half as the two teams found themselves knotted at 37 at the end of the first twenty minutes.
Back-to-back treys from York's Desmond Strickland helped to power the Panthers to an eight-point lead in the first five minutes of second-half action. Another trey by Strickland extended the Panthers' lead to 12 points at the 12:26 mark.
The Eagles brought themselves within two points of the Panthers with three-minutes remaining in the game, but struggled to get a shot to fall from there on out. SCU resorted to fouling York in order to get the ball back, but the Panthers capitalized on their free-throw opportunities and went on to win 80-71.
The Eagles shot 32 percent from the field, 13 percent from the three-point line, and 70 percent from the charity stripe. They forced 18 turnovers by the Panthers while limiting their own to 16 and both teams grabbed 49 boards on the night.
Glenn Irwin led the Eagles in scoring with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Jordan Narcisse added 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Panthers shot 36.8 percent from the field and were led in scoring by Strickland who sunk five treys en route to his 21 point night. Keenan Gaskin finished with 18 points and rebounds for the Panthers while Andre Vaughn tallied 12 points and Thadd Varmall added 10 points and 13 boards.
The Eagles will host the Central Baptist Mustangs (5-15; 1-3 MCAC) on Friday, January 27th. Tip off is set for 7:30pm.
