Story by Stephen Colwell
YORK - The York College Panthers (12-7, 2-2 MCAC) never trailed in the first half of Friday night's game against the Haskell University Indians, leading by as many as 22 and taking a 61-47 lead into the locker room at the half. But the Indians stormed back with a huge second period to win on the road, 107-100.
"It was more about what we did wrong," head coach Delton Deal said when asked what Haskell did right in the second half. "We stopped defending. In the first half we defended great, then we just stood there the rest of the time. Haskell played really tough. They moved the ball well and pounded it in the post, and we didn't guard very well."
The Panthers started the game on a 14-4 run in only two and a half minutes of play, and the double-digit lead remained through the first half. Guard Daymian Marshall (SR/Fort Worth, Texas) led the first half with 13 points while Deon Willis (SR/ Lake Charles, La) gave 11 and Darreon Tolliver (JR/San Diego, Calif) scored 10. Nine Panthers scored in the first period and the defense recorded 11 steals.
But the second half was different all together. Only minutes after the break Haskell began to chip away at the York lead, and with 11:31 to go the game was tied at 74-74. Thirty seconds later the Indians took their first lead of the night and never trailed again. Four Indian players finished the night with 18 or more points. Duelle Gore recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Tolliver had a double-double for York with 17 points and 11 boards.
"I was on them at half," Deal said. "I didn't like that we let them back in the game at the end of the first half, and then we came out and did more of that in the second half. Our intensity level has to stay even and we have to learn how to finish games."
The Panthers out rebounded the Indians 50-35, but the difference was found in shooting percentage. Haskell shot better from the field by 16 percent and from the line by five percent.
The Panthers are back in action Saturday at the Freeman Center when they host Oklahoma Wesleyan University at 5 p.m.
