KUTZTOWN, PA. (February 13, 2010) – The Kutztown University men's basketball team controlled the final nine minutes to defeat Millersville University, 77-69, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game Saturday afternoon at Keystone Arena. (BOXSCORE)
Kutztown (19-3 overall, 6-3 PSAC East) trailed Millersville (7-15, 2-7), 50-49, before finally grabbing control of the contest and extend its winning streak to two. With the win and Mansfield's victory over Cheyney, the Golden Bears are now tied for second place with the Wolves (13-9, 6-3) and a game behind PSAC East leader East Stroudsburg (20-2, 7-2) with five remaining.
Senior guard and Division II national player of the year candidate Stephen Dennis enjoyed another memorable effort for KU, ranked 21st in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Top 25 poll. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, six blocked shots and four assists. Dennis raised his career scoring total to 2,193 points with his eighth outing of 30 or more points. In two games against Millersville this season, Dennis averaged 34.5 points.
Junior guard Julius Grayadded 12 points for Kutztown. Juniors Ryan Washington and Tamir Johnson added 10 points each for the Golden Bears. Washington grabbed 10 rebounds to record his 13th double-double of the season. Making his second consecutive start, freshman Jon DeShields was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Millersville also placed four players in double digits highlighted by Jason Blake's 15-point performance. Also scoring double digits for the Marauders were Alen Ahmetovic (12 points), Rob Wyley (11 points) and Palmer McDurfee (10 points).
A Washington layup with 7:18 remaining gave Kutztown the lead for good, 51-50. Gray followed with a 3-pointer from the corner on the Golden Bears' next possession that swelled KU's advantage to 54-50. It was the beginning of a 15-4 run that eventually gave Kutztown its first double-digit edge of the game, 64-54, with 2:31 left.
The Marauders made one final charge at Kutztown, getting to 73-69, with 21 seconds remaining following a 3-pointer by Mike Seibert.
Both teams struggled to find a groove at the start. Kutztown made 2 of its first 10 shots and Millersville missed its first seven shots. The Marauders never led in the opening 20 minutes. Once both teams found their shooting stroke, they started auditioning for the NBA 3-point shootout as they combined for 10 made 3-pointers in the first half. Kutztown led, 39-32, at intermission.
The Marauders held Kutztown without a point for the first 4:47 of the second half. In the process, Millersville scored seven straight points to tie the game, 39-39, with 15:23 remaining. For the next seven minutes, the game featured four ties and four lead changes. Not even Dennis' highlight-reel two handed dunk off of a steal midway through the second half could help KU shake the pesky Marauders, who promptly regained the lead for the final time, 50-49, with 8:45 remaining, on their next possession.
Both teams return to action Monday night. Kutztown visits 12th-ranked East Stroudsburg and Millersville hosts Shippensburg. Both games begin at 8 p.m. Fans can listen to the KU-ESU game on the Golden Bear Radio Network.
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