KUTZTOWN, Pa. (December 2, 2011) – It has been a back and forth beginning of the season for the Kutztown University men's basketball team. It has seen some great things on the court to back its top pick in the preseason poll and has prepared greatly for its upcoming weekend trip to Western Pennsylvania.
 
The Golden Bears play the second stint of their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover schedule this weekend as it takes on Mercyhurst College on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Slippery Rock on Sunday, Dec. 4.  Tipoff for both contests is set for 3 p.m.
 
Live stats for Saturday's game at Mercyhurst can be found by CLICKING HERE.  Sunday's contest against Slippery Rock will have LIVE STATS and Slippery Rock RADIO available for fans.
 
Kutztown (3-2 overall, 1-1 PSAC) is coming off a 95-66 win over non-conference opponent Penn State Berks Wednesday night.  Its lone conference loss was a one-point setback to Gannon on Nov. 20.  Mercyhurst (3-1, 2-0) has won both games in the series including a 67-57 decision last season at Keystone Arena. KU holds a 9-5 record against Slippery Rock (3-1, 1-1) who broke a five-game Golden Bear winning streak in the series with a narrow 76-73 victory last season.
 
Scoring has not been a problem for Kutztown this season.  It is third in the PSAC at 85.6 points per game and holds a scoring margin of +10.8.  Leading the charge for the Golden Bears has been senior guard Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School).  McBride leads KU in scoring and is fourth in the PSAC at 21.0 ppg.  He is one of five players in the conference averaging over 20 ppg. 
 
McBride has been able to rely on both his shooting and driving ability this season.  He leads the PSAC in 3-point field goals made (17) and is fourth with 3.4 per game.  McBride is also one of two Golden Bears shooting over 80 percent at the free-throw line (.867).  Fellow senior Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) has converted on 21-of-24 (.875) from the charity stripe this season, raising KU to the third best free-throw percentage in the PSAC (.775).
 
Edwards is second on the team and 11th in the conference in scoring (16.6).  He has eight 3-pointers on 42.2 percent shooting from the floor. Defensively, Edwards leads KU with 13 steals and is seventh in the conference (2.6).
 
Also pouring in 16.6 ppg is junior Micah Fraction (Macungie, PA/Montrose Christian).  The point guard leads KU with 34.6 minutes per game and is shooting 42.3 percent from the field.  He also has a team-high 32 made free-throws.  Fraction has been able to distribute the ball effectively in the early going and is third in the conference in assists (5.4).
 
Senior Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) rounds out the quartet of Golden Bears averaging double figures in scoring. He is averaging 14.6 ppg on a team-best 56.9 percent shooting from the field.  Brennan has been KU's top presence on the boards as well and is eighth in the PSAC in rebounding (7.4).
 
Also chipping in through five games has been freshman Mike John (East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg North) and sophomore Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone).  John has been a spark off the bench on more than one occasion this season, averaging 9.4 ppg.  He is coming off a career-game against Penn State Berks where he dropped 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting including three 3-pointers.  Brooks has continued to show why he is in the starting lineup with his hard work and hustle off the ball.  He is second on the team in rebounding (5.0) and third in the PSAC in blocks per game (1.6). 
 
Mercyhurst is coming off a 67-51 setback to Lake Erie College on Tuesday but won its opening two conference games against Millersville and West Chester.  MC has proven to be able to shoot well from the beyond the arc and hold onto the ball as it leads the PSAC in 3-point field goals (8.5) and is third in turnover margin (+5.0). 
 
The Lakers are led by sophomore Matt Lee. Lee is one of the top scorers in the PSAC with 18.8 ppg. He has connected on a team-high 14 3-pointers this year. Fellow sophomore Andrew Rickard is chipping in over 16 ppg, along with 4.8 rebounds, tied for most on the squad.
 
Slippery Rock is on a two-game winning streak after its 77-72 home victory over Seton Hill last Saturday.  The Rock holds one of the top defenses in the country and will look to limit Kutztown's high-paced attack.  They lead the PSAC in scoring defense (61.2), opponent field goal percentage (.366), opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.245) and rebounding margin (+16.2).
 
SRU's Devin Taylor is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double through the first month of the season.  The senior is averaging 14.5 points per clip and is second in the PSAC in rebounding (11.0). 
 
Kutztown returns home next week as it hosts California (Pa.) and Indiana (Pa.) on Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10.  Friday's game against Cal is set to start at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday's tipoff set for 4 p.m. at Keystone Arena.