KUTZTOWN, PA (February 2, 2010) – Even though the Kutztown University women's basketball team lost to Bloomsburg University last weekend, the good news is all of the Golden Bears' preseason goals are still attainable if they take care of business.
The setback left Kutztown and Bloomsburg tied for second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division with identical 4-2 league records and one game ahead of Cheyney, West Chester and Shippensburg, who all have 3-3 league records. Millersville leads the PSAC East with a 5-1 record.
With eight games remaining, the race for the four playoff spots gets serious beginning Wednesday night when the Golden Bears (13-6 overall) return to the hardwood to meet Cheyney University (6-13, 3-3) at Keystone Arena (6 p.m.). The game will air live on the Golden Bear Radio Network and be broadcast at a later date on KUTV.
Cheyney has been a headache for Kutztown in recent years, winning three of the last four meetings between the two schools. However, KU beat Cheyney, 82-65, in its last meeting on Feb. 25, 2009 at Keystone Arena.
Junior forward Melissa McQuade had a career performance the last time she saw the familiar blue-and-white uniforms of Cheyney. McQuade burned the Wolves for 31 points and 19 rebounds. With 982 career points, McQuade leads the Golden Bears in scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 rebounds per game).
Senior Rachel Wisemiller averages 11.7 points per game. She leads KU in 3-pointers (46) and blocked shots (33). Seniors Vivian Melvin and Chauntelle Schroeder contribute over nine points per outing. Schroeder grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds against Bloomsburg. In the game against Bloomsburg, no KU player scored in double digits for the first time this season.
Meanwhile, Cheyney had an interesting week. The Lady Wolves were on both sides of streak stoppages. Cheyney started the week by ending a 38-game losing streak to Millersville. Then the Wolves concluded the week by falling to Lincoln (Pa.) in the annual Holiday Basketball Classic at Temple. It was Cheyney's first defeat to Lincoln (Pa.) in the 19-year history of the holiday classic. In between, the Lady Wolves lost a double overtime thriller at Shippensburg Saturday afternoon.
Cheyney features two of the top players in the PSAC East in senior forward Angel Stephens and senior guard Lutfiyya Muhammed. Both players average a team-best 13.9 points per game. Senior Stephanie Orji, who qualified for the 2009 NCAA Division II national track and field championships, chips in 12.3 points per game. Orji and Stephens average 17 rebounds per game. They are fourth and fifth, respectively in the PSAC, in rebounding. Orji is nominated for the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) Player of the Week award.
For the week Orji averaged a double-double. Although the Lady Wolves finished the 1-2, Orji came up big for the Cheyney averaging 13.6 points and 13.6 rebounds. Her top performance was in a 69-66 loss to Shippensburg. She scored 19 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. In their upset loss to arch-rival Lincoln (Pa.), she scored nine points, pulled down 17 rebounds, and had two blocks and three steals.
Kutztown will visit East Stroudsburg Saturday afternoon to begin the second half of its PSAC East Division schedule. Cheyney visits Bloomsburg in a key clash.
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