Shippensburg, PA (January 12, 2011) - The senior trio of Kristen Murray (Harrisburg, PA/Trinity), Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) and Meredith Starr (Richmond, VA/Monacan) came up clutch in the final minutes to lead the Kutztown University women's basketball team to a 77-72 road victory over Shippensburg University Wednesday evening at Heiges Field House. This was KU's first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game of the season. (BOXSCORE)
The Golden Bears finished with five players in double-figures. Murray had a team-high 19 points off 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. With 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining, Murray hit a 3-pointer to give Kutztown a 72-70 lead. KU never trailed again, mainly due to its success at the free-throw line.
McQuade came into Wednesday's game needing 16 points to move past Cyndi Wasilius and into third place on KU's all-time scoring list. She ended two points shy of moving up in the scoring ranks, dropping 14 points, which included an impressive 8-for-8 effort from the free-throw line. Two of McQuade's free-throw's came with 18 seconds left, putting the game out of reach for the Red Raiders.
Kutztown (8-5, 1-0 PSAC East) has now won its conference opener the last four years and couldn't start any better in 2011 by earning a tough road win. Defense and shooting well from the floor was the key for KU's success Wednesday night. Kutztown held Ship to 35.4% shooting and in turn, shot 53.1% from the field.
Also cashing in from the free-throw in the closing minutes was Starr. Starr made both her attempts with 38 seconds to go. She ended with five points.
Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) had 14 points for the second consecutive game and had three 3-pointers as well. She now has a team-leading 30 3-pointers this season and was tied for eighth in the PSAC in 3-pointers made coming into Wednesday's game. Sisson is KU's fourth-leading scorer at 9.7 points per game.
Also scoring in double figures and coming off the bench against Ship was freshman Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional). She finished with 12 points off 5-of-6 shooting and gave Kutztown a strong defensive presence inside with a game-high four blocks.
Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) set the tone on the glass as she had a game-high 10 rebounds. She also had 11 points off 5-of-7 shooting. This is her second straight game with 10 or more rebounds.
The Red Raiders (5-8, 0-1 PSAC East) were led by Shawna Wert who had 20 points. Kasey Gardner, the second-highest scorer in the PSAC at 18.8 points per game, finished with just 12 points.
Kutztown returns to action on Saturday, Jan 15 as it hosts Bloomsburg at Keystone Arena. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.
--KU--
