EAST STROUDSBURG, PA (March 5, 2010) – Displaying championship poise and toughness, the Kutztown University men's basketball team held off a furious Clarion University rally, 85-79, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinal treasure at East Stroudsburg's Koehler Fieldhouse Friday night and secured a return trip to the championship contest. (BOXSCORE)
Kutztown (23-6 overall) will meet the winner of the East Stroudsburg-Indiana (Pa) game Saturday night for the PSAC championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament at 7 p.m. Tickets for the championship game are $8. However, fans who attended the semifinal game can use their ticket stub to gain entry into the game.
“We were able to persevere and find a way to win tonight,” Kutztown coach Bernie Driscoll said. “We did a lot of little things well tonight that enables teams to win championships. I am pleased with how we played down the stretch. Our young guys were ready to play.”
In winning their third straight game, the Golden Bears placed four players in double figures led by junior guard Julius Gray, who scored a game-high 22 points. Senior guard and Division II player of the year candidate Stephen Dennis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Dennis raised his career scoring total to 2,364, which is third on the all-time PSAC scoring list.
Jon DeShields contributed a career-high 13 points. Junior center Ryan Washington notched his 17th double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Tamir Johnson added nine points and seven rebounds, but more importantly made all three of his free-throw attempts.
Clarion (18-11) made 69 percent of its shots in the second half to nearly storm back from a 17-point deficit. The balanced Golden Eagles had all five starters reach double figures led by Shameel Carty, who scored 20 points. Jamar Harrison scored 16 points. Denzil Dennison made all seven of his shots and finished with 14 points. Paul McQueen and Lloyd Harrison finished with 12 points each for the Golden Eagles.
“It means a lot to us to be in the championship game for a second straight season,” Gray said. “We expected to be here so we're not happy with making the title game again. Winning the PSAC tournament was one of our goals at the beginning of the season and now we have an opportunity to do that.”
A chance made possible because eight of the nine Kutztown players who saw action reached the scoring column and contributed something important during the win. The Golden Bear bench brigade of Alex Reed, Ryan White, Lance Chisholm, and Zach Hankerson combined to score12 points.
Reed dunked, drew a charge and recorded an assist on three straight possessions midway through the second half to keep Kutztown in front. Chisholm cooly sank a pair of foul shots with 36 seconds remaining and the Golden Bears clinging to a 79-77 lead. Hankerson and White combined for 25 minutes of solid basketball while DeShields, Washington and Gray all battled foul trouble.
“They really came through for us tonight,” Dennis said. “We showed a lot of poise, took Clarion's best punch and finished strong. Our bench gave us a big lift and did a lot of nice things for us to help us get back to the championship.”
Clarion's best punch was almost a knockout. Johnson followed up a missed shot 25 seconds into the second half to give Kutztown its largest lead of the game, 47-30. The Golden Eagles shaved 16 points off of the Golden Bears lead and pulled to within, 64-63, with 8:19 remaining. The Golden Bears never relinquished the lead even as Clarion pulled to 66-65 (6:26 remaining) and 74-73 (3:22). Each time Kutztown made a big basket, got a crucial rebound or came up with a big play.
For the final eight minutes, Kutztown's largest lead was four points as Clarion also closed to within two points six times during the stretch. The Golden Eagles also had the ball three times with a chance to tie or take the lead. Clarion never got the equalizer because Kutztown made defensive stands when it mattered most.
With the Golden Bears' leading 76-74 with under two minutes remaining. Clarion's Jamar Harrison had a seemingly clear path to the basket but Gray's quick fingers ended any thoughts of a Clarion tie. Gray stole the ball and raced in for a layup to give Kutztown a 78-74 lead with 1:43 remaining.
“He got me with a nice pump fake, but I quickly repositioned myself and just stuck my hand in there and tipped the ball,” Gray said. “We learned that we can't keep a lead, but we also know that we don't give up. We keep playing together as a team and play all the way to the end of the game.”
It appeared as if the game would not come down to the final minutes as Kutztown zoomed to a 45-30 halftime shooting behind Gray and DeShields, who combined for 23 points in the opening half. Kutztown made 52.8 percent of its shots in the first half. The Golden Bears took control early breaking from a 4-4 tie by going on a 17-5 run to open a 21-9 lead eight minutes into the game.
While Dennis has a well-earned reputation for scoring, he broke up four Clarion fast breaks by forcing three missed shots and grabbing all the rebounds and blocking another shot. Gray also drew an offensive foul from Clarion to thwart another fastbreak opportunity.
During a brief 6-0 burst that expanded Kutztown's lead from 35-25 to 41-25 with 3:21 remaining in the first half, Chisholm, Hankerson and Gray all scored during that stretch. Hankerson recorded a steal and Chisholm added an assist.
“Winning the PSAC championship was one of our goals at the start of the season,” Driscoll said. “I thought Clarion made some nice adjustments to our zone defense in the second half. We're going to play a tough team in the finals on Saturday and we have to find a way to play a complete game and be ready to play. I am pleased with our foul shooting at the end of the game and with how we came through as a team.”
--KU--
