KUTZTOWN, Pa (December 28, 2010) – Now that the gifts have been exchanged and snow has been shoveled, the Kutztown University women's basketball team gets back to work when it hosts Philadelphia University Thursday afternoon at Keystone Arena beginning at 2 p.m. This will be KU's final non-conference contest of the season.
Fans will be admitted free of charge if they bring a canned good to the contest to support the KU athletic department's mission to beat hunger. All donations will be sent to Friends, Inc. Also, fans not able to make it out the game, can view live stats by
CLICKING HERE
The Golden Bears (5-2 overall) will look to remain perfect at home despite a 21-day layoff. Kutztown last played on Dec. 9 when it defeated Washington Adventist, 85-39. The Rams (5-3) defeated the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, 71-35 Tuesday afternoon.
Kutztown anticipates no issues with the break.
“It was nice to go home and be with family and friends for awhile, especially for people like
Meredith Starr (Richmond, VA/Monacan) and I who have to travel five hours just to get there,” Kutztown senior forward
Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) said. “On the other hand, we had to make sure that we were still getting some opportunities to play and workout so we can stay in shape. I prepared by running, playing in the morning, and shooting at the gym.”
Kutztown defeated Philadelphia, 69-59, last season in the city of Brotherly Love behind McQuade's 19-point performance. This year, McQuade leads Kutztown in scoring (15.6) and rebounding (8.4). McQuade has led the Golden Bears in scoring in KU's last three games.
McQuade continues her assault on the all-time Kutztown scoring and rebounding record. She enters the game with 1,275 points and 778 rebounds. She has scored in double figures 67 times in her sterling career.
She's one of three players averaging double digits for the Golden Bears along with freshman guard
Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) (10.9 points per game) and sophomore guard
Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) (10.4). Sophomore center
Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) also adds 9.4 points per game. Sisson has provided a solid boost off the bench by reaching double digits in four straight games. She tied her career high with 14 points in KU's last outing against Washington Adventist.
“We are definitely a different team than last year and the past seven games we have started to become more comfortable playing with each other. “We are starting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses on the court. I like that Ash and Steph are stepping up as sophomores. As long as they continue to improve and understand that they are going to be a huge part of our success this year, I think we will be fine. Also, Andrea coming off of the bench has given us some good minutes when she is in.”
Philadelphia, which qualified for the NCAA Division II East Regional, has been rolling since a three-game losing streak to West Chester, Millersville and Goldey-Beacom. The Rams have knocked off Bloomsburg, Chestnut Hill, Wilmington, and UPG. The Rams have outscored their last two opponents, 150-62.
Kutztown will have its hands full dealing with a balanced Philadelphia squad that has four players averaging double digits.
Kristen Blye leads the Rams in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (7.3). Christine Wooding (13.6) points per game), Stephanie Agger (12.5), and Kate Brennan (12.3) also average double digits for Philadelphia. Wooding has led the Rams in scoring in two of their last games. She had 20 points against Wilmington.
Agger and Brennan scored 16 points each for Philadelphia in its win over Pitt-Greensburg. Taylor Peltzer added 14 points and Blye had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the win over UPG.
Kutztown remains home for a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contests against Mercyhurst College (5-6 overall) Monday evening and Slippery Rock University (1-6) Tuesday night. Both games begin at 6 p.m. and fans can follow both games by viewing live stats.
--KU--
