KUTZTOWN, PA (December 3, 2010) – Somebody's three-game winning streak will end when the Kutztown University men's basketball team visits the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m.

 

The Golden Bears (4-1 overall) enter the contest after beating Chestnut Hill College, 76-61, Wednesday night. Kutztown used a balanced scoring performance as it placed four players in double digits in the victory over Chestnut Hill. Senior guard Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area) and freshman guard Eric Henry (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg) each had 15 points to lead Kutztown, which scored 51 points and shot 70.8 percent in the second half.

 

Meanwhile, the Devils (3-1) are coming off of a dramatic 56-54 victory over East Stroudsburg Tuesday night. Tyrone Mann-Barnes drilled a 3-pointer from NBA range as the buzzer sounded to give the Devils the triumph over the preseason Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division favorite. Mann-Barnes finished the game with 22 points on 8-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the 3-point range.

 

Kutztown is 6-2 all-time against USP after claiming a 78-66 victory at Keystone Arena last season over the Devils. In addition to knocking off East Stroudsburg, the Devils have defeated West Chester (45-42) and Bloomsburg (51-49). Their only setback was a 73-57 decision to Cheyney.

 

Kutztown head men's basketball coach Bernie Driscoll knows that trying to extend his team's 12-game December winning streak will be a formidable challenge.

 

“USP has some good wins against some quality teams so we know we're going to have play really well,” Driscoll said. “They're a very good team. They play a slow style which is going to force us to be patient and smart on both ends of the floor. It should be a good game and we're looking forward to the challenge.”

 

The one player who could speed up the game for the Golden Bears is Henry. He zooms around the court like the Tasmanian Devil, dashing in and out traffic, and bouncing off of bigger defenders. Through five games, Henry has caused plenty of havoc through five games, averaging 7.8 points per game. He also leads the team in steals with 11. Henry will be challenged by USP's sticky defense.

 

“I feel like my game is basic,” Henry said. “I know my role to give us a spark of the bench, play good defense, and get my teammates the ball in a position for them to do some good things for us.”

 

Henry's scoring effort against Chestnut Hill was his best in a Kutztown uniform. Henry wowed the crowd with a nifty no-look pass to Jermaine Jackson (Blandon, PA/Reading) for a basket in the first half, and a couple of end-to-end dashes that resulted in layups. He also iced the game by making 9-of-15 foul shots in the second half. He still has a lot to learn as he gets comfortable, but Driscoll loves his energy.

 

“I think that Eric is going to be an excellent point guard,” Driscoll said. “He works extremely hard and we just got to get him to understand the nuances of the position. I have been very pleased with his progress so far this year.”

 

Throughout the season, Kutztown has been paced by Gray, who leads the team with a 15.4 point per game average. Senior Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter), the reigning PSAC East Men's Basketball Player of the Week, notched his second straight double-double with a 12 point, 11-rebound effort against the Griffins. He is averaging 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing. Junior Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) chips in 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing.

 

After enduring a 7-20 season in 2009-10, the Devils are off to a great start. They have been winning with defense, having limited three straight teams under 60 points, and forcing at least 18 turnovers during their winning streak. The Devils held East Stroudsburg to 6-of-20 shooting in the second half as they rallied from a 13-point deficit. USP also held West Chester to 26.7 shooting from the field. Overall, the Devils have allowed an average of 54.4 points per contest.

 

USP has been led in scoring by somebody different in every game this season. Adewale Adefami leads the Devils in scoring (11.3 ppg.) and rebounding (10.3). Following his memorable effort, Mann-Barnes is USP's second leading scorer at 10.3 points per contest. Myer Messinger averages 9.0 points per game along with seven rebounds per contest. Will Kernan contributes 8.5 points per game.

 

Kutztown's next game will be Wednesday when it plays its final home game of 2010 against Holy Family University at Keystone Arena. That game starts at 7 p.m. and live stats will be available of the contest.

 

--KU--