KUTZTOWN, PA (January 4, 2011) – The Kutztown University men's basketball team dropped a 76-73 decision to Slippery Rock University Tuesday night in a thrilling Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover match at Keystone Arena. (BOXSCORE)
After being down as many as 14 in the second half, Kutztown depended on many of its players to bring the game back into striking distance.
After sitting most of the first half due to foul trouble, Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) started a 9-0 run early in the second half by making his presence known on both ends of the floor. Johnson had four points and three rebounds in a two-minute span to bring The Rock's lead to five with just over 15 minutes to go. Johnson ended the game with eight points and nine rebounds.
KU would continue to put the pressure on Slippery Rock as some big defensive stops led to a Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson) 3-pointer and a Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) layup which would give Kutztown a 57-56 lead with 7 minutes, 38 seconds to go. This was KU's first lead of the game since the opening minutes. Coffey finished with nine points including 2-for-3 from 3-point land, and McBride had 10 points in just his second game with Kutztown since transferring from South Carolina State.
Senior guard Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area) also found his shot in the second half and was a major factor for Kutztown's second-half comeback. Gray had a team-high 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Gray matched his highest point total since scoring 17 Nov 20 against Penn State-Berks. He went 3-for-6 from 3-point range Tuesday and made all four of his free-throw attempts.
Gray's 3 pointer with 2:04 to play gave the Golden Bears their final lead, 71-69. The Rock scored the next six points to go up 75-71, capped by Maron' Brown's jumper with 23 seconds left.
Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) got an open look at a 3-pointer with six seconds left and a chance to take the lead, but the ball rattled out and found its way into the arms of a Slippery Rock defender. Edwards finished with four points.
Kutztown (6-4 overall) can hold their heads high after a tough defeat. After a rough loss to Mercyhurst the night before, the Golden Bears showed a hunger in the second half to not go down quietly and give the fans in attendance quite a game to watch.
Returning to the starting lineup was junior Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic). Brennan has also put together a nice string of games lately as he finished with 12 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night. Jon DeShields (Chester, PA/Life Center) started just his second game of the year as well, chipping in seven points and a momentum-changing 'and-1' down the stretch.
Slippery Rock (8-4) was led by junior forward Devin Thomas who finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks. Maron Brown a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Jabril Bailey ended with 17 points as well.
Tuesday's game concluded the first half of this year's PSAC crossover games. Kutztown will travel out to Western Pennsylvania this weekend as it will face California (PA) on Saturday and Indiana (PA) on Sunday. Both games are set to tip at 3:00 p.m.
--KU--
