KUTZTOWN, Pa. (December 2, 2011) – The Kutztown University women's basketball team returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action this weekend with a road trip to face Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock on December 3 and 4.  Tip off for both contests is set for 1:00 PM.
 
Fans unable to make the trip can follow the action from home. Live stats for Saturday's game can be found by CLICKING HERE.  For Sunday's contest, Slippery Rock will provide both LIVE STATS and AUDIO.
 
The Golden Bears will be looking to build off a 69-55 win over non-conference rival Chestnut Hill on Wednesday.  Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the victory, while Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) poured in a team-high 16 points.  Sisson hit four threes, dished out seven assists and added a block and two steals to her stat line.
 
Despite the strong efforts by Zewe and Sisson, Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) remains KU's leading scorer.  The junior averages 17.3 points/game, seventh in the PSAC.  A guard, Wood is hitting 50 percent from the floor and 57 percent from behind the three point arc (13-of-23), good for sixth in the conference.  She poured in a season-high 33 in the Golden Bears' first game and has reached double figures in six of the team's seven games.  She leads the team with eight steals, while her 16 assists rate second.
 
Sophomore forward Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional) is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg, but that mark improves to 15.8 over the past four contests.  She hits 48 percent from the floor and a superb 94 percent from the free throw line, third in the conference.  Hodgson is second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game, while her seven blocked shots pace the squad.
 
Sisson gives Kutztown three players averaging double digits at 10.1 ppg.  The sophomore guard rates tenth in the PSAC in three-point field goals (2.0/game) and leads the team with 21 assists.  Zewe leads the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game and is particularly tough on the defensive glass, where she is fifth in the conference at 6.1 defensive rpg.  That mark has helped Kutztown to a league best mark of 29.6 defensive rpg as a team.
 
Led by Hodgson's 94 percent mark at the free throw line, the Golden Bears rate second in the PSAC as a team, hitting .767 from the charity stripe, just .002 behind Shippensburg for the conference lead.
 
Kutztown heads to Erie, Pennsylvania on December 3 to face Mercyhurst, who enters the weekend at 0-4.  The game will also be the Lakers' home opener.
 
Mercyhurst is led by Lindsay Stamp, who is second in the PSAC at 19.3 ppg despite not starting a game.  She has been one of the league's most efficient players as she has tallied that average in just 21 minutes/game and has scored at least 13 points in every game this season.  A prolific outside shooter, her 3.3 made threes per game is third in the conference. She is also tied for tenth in the league at 2.8 steals/game. 
 
Kaylee Foster is second on the team in scoring at just 7.5 ppg, but is coming off a 14-point effort against West Chester.
 
The Lakers' Dana Banda ranks among the conference leaders in several categories.  She is tied for fourth in the league at five assists/game and is tied for fourth in steals at 3.5 per contest.  Katie Carbee leads the team in rebounding at 4.3 rpg.    
 
The Lakers are third in the conference as a team with 7.8 made threes/game and are fifth in steals with 13.3 spg.
 
After taking on Mercyhurst, the Golden Bears stop at Slippery Rock on their return trip to campus on December 4.  The Rock enters the weekend at 1-3 on the year and takes on East Stroudsburg on December 3. 
 
SRU has a solid one-two punch in Danielle Smith and Jasmine Cooper, both of whom average a double-double on the season.  Smith leads the team at both 14.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg.  Cooper is second on the club in both categories at 14.3 ppg and 10 rpg.  The duo each rate in the top four in the PSAC in rebounding with Smith sitting in second place, two spots ahead of Cooper.  Behind their efforts, Slippery Rock leads the PSAC with 43.2 rpg and ranks second on the offensive glass at 16.5 per game.
 
Cooper leads the league in offensive rebounds, pulling in 4.8 per game.  She also leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 50 percent from the floor. 
 
Paris Thomas is tied atop the conference leaderboard in assists, distributing six per game.  Erinne Cunningham leads the league in minutes played at 38.2 per game and ranks among the conference leaders in made threes, sinking 2.8 per contest.
 
The two contests complete a four-game road swing for the Golden Bears, who then return to Keystone Arena for a three-game homestand starting with a game against California (Pa.) on December 9.