Steve Ware picked up his first double-double of the season, pouring in 26 points and ripping down 13 rebounds, to lead MU to a 72-61 victory over visiting York College on Sunday afternoon in the Anderson Center.
 
James Hawk added a season-high 11 points and four boards while Griffin Sponaugle and Erik Kerns added nine points each. Joe Busacca picked up five assists and a steal while Ware, Hawk and Kerns all had blocks for MU in the win.
 
MU outrebounded York 43-37, including an 11-7 advantage in offensive boards, while shooting more than 40% from the field.
 
The two teams traded buckets in the opening portion of the game, but Jesse Urich sparked MU's first run of the game, breaking a 16-16 tie with a three-pointer from right in front of the York bench. Kerns added a layup to make it a 21-16 game with 9:26 left in the half.
 
Cael Evans added a put back and Sponaugle nailed a three from the corner to give MU its largest lead of the game at 31-22 with 4:13 to left in the opening half.
 
York responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes, capturing a 33-31 lead with 38 seconds left.
 
The Cougars ended the half on a high note as Kerns' layup tied the game at 33-33 with six seconds left. Urich then stole the inbound pass and drilled a three from the left corner, beating the buzzer and giving MU a 36-33 lead and the momentum heading into the second half.
 
Hawk opened the second half with consecutive layups, including a three-point play with 18:15 left to play, giving MU a 41-35 lead.
 
Sponaugle then caught fire, burying two shots from beyond the arc, while Steve Ware added a bucket to give the Cougars an 11-point lead, their largest of the game, with 16:39 left.
 
The Spartans went on a run of their own later in the half as Dalton Meyers tied the game at 52-52 and Blayde Reich scored off of an MU turnover to give York a 54-52 lead with 10:38 left.
 
Ware answered with a turnaround jumper to tie the game for the sixth time and Anthony Sergio gave MU the lead for good at 57-54 when he drilled a long-range jumper from the far corner with 10:00 remaining.
 
Ware and Evans added a bucket and Kerns connected on one of his two free throws to extend MU's lead to 62-55 with 6:16 left to play.
 
Blake Straitman responded with a bucket and Matt Scamuffo's three-point play cut the Cougars' lead to two with just over two minutes left.
 
Ware took over the game yet again with a put-back, a layup and two free throws to make it a 70-62 game with 30 seconds remaining.
 
York tried to foul at the end of the game, but good ball movement from the Cougars led to a wide open layup for Kerns and a 72-64 MU lead with just 15 seconds left.
 
The Cougars held on for the 72-64 victory, improving to 6-1 on the season. York fell to 0-5.
 
MU is back in action Wednesday night, as the Cougars welcome FDU-Florham for their Freedom Conference opener in the Anderson Center at 8:00.