KUTZTOWN, Pa. (January 14, 2011) – The Kutztown University women's basketball returns to the safe haven of Keystone Arena when it hosts Bloomsburg University in a key early season Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division clash Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
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The Golden Bears (8-5 overall, 1-0 PSAC East) and Huskies (9-4, 1-0) are ready to renew acquaintances after playing three times, including an overtime contest in 2009-10. Last season, Bloomsburg won both regular season meetings 46-45 at home and 72-67 at KU. However, the Golden Bears won the matchup that mattered in the playoffs, 74-67, in overtime.
This season both teams have serious aspirations of winning the PSAC East. The winner of this game will remain perfect in conference action with 12 contests remaining. The Golden Bears are 6-1 at home this season and all of their wins have been by double digits. The Huskies are 4-2 on the road.
Fans can expect plenty of points as this contest matches two of the top scoring teams in the conference. Kutztown is second in the PSAC in scoring (75.8 points per game) and Bloomsburg is third (73.8). The Golden Bears lead the conference in 3-point shooting percentage (90-for-224, 40.2 percent) and the Huskies are second in that category (139-for-356, 39.0).
Kutztown started PSAC East play by defeating Shippensburg, 77-72, at Heiges Fieldhouse behind a balanced attack that saw five players reach double digits. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg knocked off nationally-ranked and reigning East champion Millersville, 75-58. The Marauders advanced to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region final last season.
“We definitely have to take care of business, play well and protect our home court,” Kutztown senior guard
Meredith Starr (Richmond, VA/Monacan) said. “Winning at Shippensburg on Wednesday was huge for Melissa and I because we had never won there before, so we're looking to keep the momentum going.”
Kutztown has received contributions from somebody different on a regular basis. McQuade may lead the Golden Bears in scoring (15.5) and rebounding (8.2), but the Golden Bears are far from a one-woman show. Sophomore guard
Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) (10.5 ppg) and senior forward
Kristen Murray (Harrisburg, PA/Trinity) (10.4) also average double digits for Kutztown. Freshman guard
Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) chips in 9.4 points off the bench for the Golden Bears.
In the win over Shippensburg, Sisson and freshman forward
Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional) combined for 26 points. Sophomore center
Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) notched her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Murray dropped seven dimes and Hodgson swatted four shots.
“I believe when we played out West against California and Indiana, we grew as a team,” McQuade said. “I believe we are beginning to play well together as a team. We learned a lot from playing against those teams last weekend. If we can beat Bloomsburg, it would be a great start to the conference season and help our confidence a lot.”
The Huskies have plenty of confidence after knocking off Millersville Wednesday night. Bloomsburg features the PSAC's leading scorer in sophomore Dana Weiller, who was selected as the 2010 East Freshman of the Year. She's averaging 20.6 points per game. She has made 47 3-pointers this season.
Also scoring in double digits for the Huskies are Kelsey Gallagher (13.2 ppg., 34 3-pointers) and Kayla Oxenrider (10.8 ppg.). Oxenrider and Gallagher scored 17 points each in the win over Millersville. Gallagher also became the 18th BU player to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Overall, Bloomsburg was 12-for-24 from 3-point distance against the Marauders.
“This game is definitely a challenge for us,” Kutztown coach
Janet Malouf said. “For us, we just want to keep getting better. Beating a good team on the road in Shippensburg was a good start for us. For most of this year, we've had different players step up for us, which has helped us get to where we are.”
Kutztown visits West Chester in its next PSAC East contest. Bloomsburg hosts Shippensburg. Both games are Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.
--KU--
