KUTZTOWN, PA (February 14, 2010) – After a nine-day delay, round two between Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division heavyweights Kutztown and East Stroudsburg is set to resume Monday night with first-place on the line.
If this contest between No. 21 Kutztown (19-3 overall, 6-3 PSAC East) and No. 12 East Stroudsburg (20-2, 7-2) is anything like the Golden Bears' pulsating 87-84 victory four weeks ago, then spectators are going to be in for a treat when the teams tip-off at ESU's Koehler Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. In that game, the teams combined for nine lead changes and seven ties.
Fans that are unable to make the trip, can listen live to all of the action on the Golden Bear Radio Network beginning at 5:50 p.m. with the women's game. The original rematch was scheduled to be played on Feb. 6, but a significant snowfall forced officials to reschedule the game.
With a victory, Kutztown, the two-time reigning PSAC East champions, can pull into a tie for first place and post consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. Conversely, ESU can open a two-game bulge over the Golden Bears with four games remaining. Both teams will be playing their third game in five days. Kutztown is tied with Cheyney (13-9, 6-3) for second place and it leads Mansfield (15-7, 5-4) by a game.
ESU is ranked second in the NCAA Atlantic Region poll and Kutztown is ranked sixth.
Both teams lead the PSAC in scoring offense. Kutztown is first (82.3) and ESU is second (81.9). The Warriors lead the PSAC in assists per game (16.6) and free-throw percentage (72.9). In addition, they are second in the conference in scoring defense (64.3), 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.2) and steals (9.0)
This game begins a difficult four-game road trip for Kutztown. The Golden Bears visit West Chester, Shippensburg and Cheyney before concluding the regular season with a home date against Bloomsburg. To comprehend how difficult this trip is, it's like walking three miles over scolding hot coals. However, like mice, the Golden Bears must take small nibbles and focus on each game.
In the first meeting at Keystone Arena, senior guard and Division II national player of the year candidate Stephen Dennis (West Chester, PA/Henderson) burned ESU for a career-high 42 points. Dennis, who was featured in the Feb. 8 issue of Sports Illustrated, has scored 2,193 points, which is fifth all-time on the PSAC scoring list. Dennis enters the game as the nation's leading scorer (27.5 ppg.). He has produced two consecutive outings of 30 or more points.
Dennis had 31 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high six blocked shots and four assists KU's 77-69 victory over Millersville Saturday afternoon. Junior center Ryan Washington (Philadelphia, PA/Wissahickon) had 16 rebounds in the first meeting against ESU. He averages 19.4 points and 10.1 rebounds. Junior guard Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area High School), who scored 19 points against the Warriors in the first contest, is averaging 12.9 points per game. Junior forward Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) has scored in double figures in KU's last two games.
East Stroudsburg is 10-1 at cozy Koehler Fieldhouse this season. However, the Warriors dropped a surprising 59-57 decision to Bloomsburg in their last home contest Thursday night. ESU bounced back by scoring 50 points in the second half to defeat Shippensburg, 83-73, Saturday. Senior guard Andy Heimbach scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, pulled down six rebounds and handed out six assists.
ESU has had six 20-win seasons, reaching the mark three straight years from 1970-71 through 1972-73, in 1989-90 when the Warriors won their only PSAC championship, and 1991-92 when they were nationally-ranked for the only other time in school history. The Warriors are four wins away from establishing a school record for wins with 24.
Junior forward Mike Tobin led the PSAC East leaders with 16 points and shot 7-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 from the three-point line against Shippensburg. Senior guard Robby Pines added 11 points, nine assists and four steals and freshman forward Marcus Brown had 10 points and five rebounds. Pines, the PSAC leader with 6.5 assists per game, moved into ESU's single season and career top 10 lists. He has 252 career assists.
East Stroudsburg visits Mansfield for a 7:30 p.m. clash Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Kutztown travels to Hollinger Field House at West Chester for an 8 p.m. tip, also on Wednesday.
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