BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (February 12, 2011) -- The Kutztown University women's basketball team dropped an 85-70 decision to Bloomsburg University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division match-up Saturday afternoon at Nelson Field House. (BOXSCORE)
The Golden Bears (12-10 overall, 5-5 PSAC East) knew that facing the first-place Huskies, ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings, wouldn't be a walk in the park. KU was persistent the entire game and displayed a fighting effort. However, BU knocked down 14 3-pointers to extend its winning streak to seven games.
Sophomore guard Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) was well prepared for the Huskies as she led Kutztown with 24 points. Wood was 8-for-15 from the field and hit five 3-pointers. She opened the game up with a deep 3-pointer and after she found her groove, Wood's game blossomed for the next 40 minutes. Wood has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
“I knew I had to shoot more after the first half,” Wood said. “When I got open shots, I just took them. I didn't hesitate or think twice about it. I had the confidence that my shots were going to go in so I just kept taking them.”
With 11 minutes, 48 seconds remaining in the second half, senior Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) made a pair of foul shots to slice BU's advantage to 53-47. This was the closest Kutztown would get. McQuade finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and added seven assists to her balanced day. She was perfect from the foul line, making all six of her attempts.
Senior Meredith Star picked up 11 points to round out the double figure scorers for the Golden Bears. KU stuck with Bloomburg's quick offense and range, and continued to show effort even though it trailed at intermission.
During the opening minutes of the game, KU scored five straight points to open an 8-3 lead. Wood scored six of KU's first eight points. The first half featured three ties with the last one at 13-13 with 13:56 remaining after a McQuade layup.
“Our biggest struggle today was contesting their 3-pointers,” Wood said. “They shoot the lights out of the ball and we just have to figure out how to get around their screens fast enough. We have to concentrate on our defense. We can't let anybody score 45 points in the first half. We have to stop them on offense.”
Kutztown is currently tied for fourth place in the PSAC East with Shippensburg. KU has an advantage over the Red Raiders after beating them twice this season. With four games left in conference play, the Golden Bears are optimistic and know what they have to do to extend its season to post play.
KU's heart and desire to stay in any game with any opponent makes it a team that is hard to compete with. Despite its 5-5 record in the PSAC East, KU is on a mission.
“We have to be consistent and have our intensity during the whole game, not just in the beginning,” Wood said. “If we do that, we'll be fine. Our defense has to solid because everybody can score in the PSAC.”
Kutztown returns to action when it hosts Cheyney University, Wednesday night at Keystone Arena. Bloomsburg hosts Mansfield. Both games begin at 6 p.m. The Golden Bear women's basketball team will host Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Pink Zone Day to help raise breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to show support by wearing pink at the games.
--KU--
