BOX SCORE
JAMAICA, N.Y.— The York College men's basketball team held St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) to just 31 percent shooting from the field and nine percent from three-point range as they went on to win 70-53 in the 2011-12 home opener on Tuesday evening.
Mark Evans recorded a double-double, scoring 21 points, shooting 53 percent from the field, and grabbing ten rebounds and
Tony Vails netted 17 points and pulled down five rebounds as York (1-4) picked up its first win of the season.
Omari Phipps also had a solid all-around game with seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
York quickly set the tone in the early going, forcing a number of St. Joseph's turnovers right from the start, which they turned into a 7-0 advantage following a Vails lay-up with 16:19 to play in the half. York would hold a slight lead for the majority of the first half until a 6-0 run by St. Joseph's put the Bears in the lead briefly (26-25), with 49 seconds to play in the half. York would go into the half tied at 26-26.
In the second half, York really clamped down on defense. With York still holding on to a slight lead (42-39) with 13:13 to play in the game, the Cardinals would start a stretch of a more than eight minutes where they held the Bears to just seven points. Because of the stifling defense, the Cardinals were able to stretch their lead to 13 points, (59-46) after a pair of Vails free throws with 5:20 to play. The Cardinals continued to stretch their lead and when the game ended, they held their largest advantage of the game (17 points).
St. Joseph's was led by Justin Gist, who had 14 points in a losing effot. David Louison and Vernon Maddox each had 11 points as they dropped to 2-4 on the season.
York will open the conference portion of it schedule on Thursday when they visit the College of Staten Island at 7:30 p.m.
