KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 11, 2011) – No matter what happens against Bloomsburg University, the Kutztown University women's basketball team will return to campus still holding a ticket to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs with four games remaining.
The Golden Bears enjoy a slight comfort zone in that they own the tiebreaker over Shippensburg University if both teams finish with the same conference record at the conclusion of action on Feb. 26. Of course that status could change if Kutztown stumbles and Shippensburg gets hot.
Kutztown (12-9 overall, 5-4 PSAC East) trails West Chester (16-5, 7-2 PSAC East) and Millersville (17-4, 7-2) by two games and league leader Bloomsburg (16-5, 8-1) by three games as the season reaches its stretch drive.
Kutztown doesn't want to rely on its trump card to get into the PSAC playoffs for the third straight season. The Golden Bears have their sets on finishing the season with a five-game winning streak. The first step is an arduous one as Kutztown gets a chance to cool off hotter than hot sauce Bloomsburg Saturday afternoon at Nelson Field House starting at 1 p.m.
Winners of six consecutive games, the Huskies are also ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region poll. If KU still has any visions of winning the regular season PSAC East crown or hosting a home playoff game, it must beat Bloomsburg.
The Golden Bears will look to rebound from their 58-52 defeat to West Chester Wednesday night. Bloomsburg avenged its only PSAC East setback by beating Shippensburg, 65-55, on the road. The Huskies have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams including an 87-84 victory on Jan. 15 at Keystone Arena.
In its loss to West Chester, the Golden Bear triumvirate of Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler), Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley), and Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) combined to score 46 points. McQuade recorded her 29th career double-double and fifth this season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. McQuade tied her career high with 30 points in the first meeting against Bloomsburg.
One of the best players in the PSAC, McQuade leads Kutztown in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounding (9.2). She's sixth in the conference in scoring and fourth in scoring. With a first-rate handle and the quickness of a cheetah, Wood has been consistent for Kutztown, averaging 13.0 points per game. The Golden Bears never led against West Chester, only the second game this season in which KU has not held some type of advantage.
Kutztown has won three games away from the friendly confines of Keystone Arena. Three of Bloomsburg's five defeats this season have come at home. Before losing 46-45 last season at Bloomsburg; Kutztown had won four straight inside of Nelson Field House.
In its victory over Shippensburg, Dana Wieller scored a team-high 19 points, one above her season average and Kelsey Gallagher added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Huskies feature two of the top seven scorers in the PSAC. Wieller is second (18.4) and Gallagher us seventh (15.6). Kayla Oxenrider chips in 11.1 points per outing for the Huskies. Last week, Gallagher scored a career-high 36 points in a road victory at Millersville. That effort earned Gallagher the PSAC East Player of the Week award.
The Huskies have used their outstanding 3-point shooting ability and high-octane offense to the top of the PSAC East standings. Bloomsburg leads the PSAC in scoring offense (76.6 points per game), scoring margin (+15.6), made 3-point field goals (11.2 per game), and assists (17.5). The Huskies have made at least 10 3-pointers in 15 games this season. Weiller has made 71 3-pointers and Gallagher has made 61.
By contrast, Kutztown has hit double-digits from beyond the arc five times. Freshman Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) leads KU with 46 3-pointers. Kutztown tied a school record by making 14 3-pointers in its victory over Shippensburg Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears did drop 10 3-pointers in the first meeting against Bloomsburg. Kutztown does lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.1).
Kutztown returns home to host Cheyney University. Bloomsburg continues its three-game home stand when it welcomes Mansfield University to its campus. Both games are Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
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