York (Pa.) takes 63-54 victory over Green Terror on first day of Messiah/Wingate Hotel Invitational

GRANTHAM, Pa. - April Sparkman recorded a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead York (Pa.) to a 63-54 women's basketball victory over McDaniel in the opening game of the Messiah/Wingate Hotel Invitational on Friday.

Ali Moreland (Davidsonsville, Md./South River) led the Green Terror (0-1) in the team's opener with 19 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Whitney Snoops (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) matched her career high with 12 rebounds.

Jaimie Sapp poured in 16 points for the Spartans (2-1), who shot 40 percent for the game while holding McDaniel to 22 of 75 (29.3 percent).

With the game knotted at 6-all nearly six minutes into the game, Gayle Exley hit the backend of a two-shot foul to give her team a 7-6 lead that York never relinquished.

A Sparkman trey 4 minutes, 8 seconds later capped an 11-0 run that gave the Spartans a 17-6 lead with 10 minutes to play in the half.

Moreland's first field goal of the game at the 9:20 mark snapped the burst but Sapp tallied four of the game's next five points to stretch the advantage to 21-9 with 7:40 to play.

A Snoops layup 26 seconds later sparked a 10-0 run that closed the deficit to two with 3:12 to play in the half.

Baskets from Sparkman and Jamie Polan pushed the lead back to six before two Moreland free throws made it a 25-21 game at the intermission.

Clinging to a 32-29 lead after a Katelyn Fischer (Reisterstown, Md./Seton Keough) layup with 14:29 to play, Polan responded with a rebound-and-basket that ignited a 20-9 run over the next seven minutes to push the lead to its largest at 52-38.

A Moreland jumper with 33 seconds made it an eight-point game but that's as close as the team could get.

Fischer netted seven points in her McDaniel debut, adding three assists and three steals. Emma Adams (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida) also chipped in seven points.

The Green Terror returns to action at Messiah on Saturday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

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