Second half surge pushes Golden Bears past West Chester

WEST CHESTER, PA (February 17, 2010) - The Kutztown University women's basketball team used a late run to take down West Chester 65-56 in a critical Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest on Wednesday night at Hollinger Fieldhouse. (Boxscore)

Trailing 54-49 with five minutes and 33 seconds remaining, the defense stepped up and held the Golden Rams to only two points for the remainder.

Kristen Murray sparked the comeback with a 3-pointer, then picked off a pass and converted the layup to tie the game at 54. Following a WCU miss, Murray found Rachel Wisemiller under the basket to put the Golden Bears ahead for good with 3:41 to play.

Wisemiller finished the game with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Murray scored nine.

The Golden Bears converted eight-of-nine foul shots down the stretch to help gain separation for second place in the PSAC East. The win moved KU to 8-3 in the division and heavily increased the chances of hosting a first round contest of the PSAC Championships. The loss dropped West Chester to 6-5 and into a three-way tie with Shippensburg and Bloomsburg.

Junior Melissa McQuade added 12 points in the first half which the Golden Bears never trailed. KU jumped out to a 13-2 lead at the start and ended the half ahead 36-27. The second half opened with six straight points by the Golden Bears before West Chester went on a 27-7 run.

Chauntelle Schroeder and McQuade each had 10 rebounds to record double-doubles. Schroeder had 11 points and seven of her rebounds were on the offensive end. McQuade finished with 18 points, she also grabbed three steals and dished out three assists.

Meredith Starr was a sniper from downtown, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, finishing with nine points and a team-high four assists. Vivian Melvin added seven points, three assists and three rebounds.

The Golden Bears can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Saturday at Shippensburg starting at 1 p.m.

--KU--

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