KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 16, 2011) – Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) was in the perfect place at the right time for the Kutztown University men's basketball team.
Johnson, a 6 foot, 4 inch beast, took a pass from Eric Henry (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg), who had driven the length of the court, and scored with 2.0 seconds remaining to lift the Kutztown University men's basketball team to an exhilarating 82-80 triumph over visiting Cheyney University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division thriller Wednesday night at Keystone Arena. (BOXSCORE)
“We do these types of drills all the time in practice,” Henry said. “It comes down to the wire and coach puts time on the clock and we have to score. We did it in practice on Tuesday. As I was dribbling up the court, I heard Nate (Edwards) call for the ball, but I felt somebody grab my arm so I saw Tamir and passed the ball to him because I knew he had the advantage.
Johnson's clutch basket answered Sharif Bray's game-tying hoop with nine seconds left. The Wolves had one final chance to send the Kutztown faithful home with frowns on its faces after Johnson's basket as KU had to survive one last and potential game-winning shot. Fortunately for Kutztown, David Burton's desperation heave from just over halfcourt hit the back of the rim and fell to the floor.
The win enabled Kutztown (15-8 overall, 8-3 PSAC East) to keep pace with Mansfield (15-8, 8-3) atop the PSAC East standings. Both teams lead the PSAC East by two games with three remaining including a biggie next Wednesday in north central Pennsylvania at Decker Gym. However, that impending showdown is for another day.
Meanwhile, Cheyney (15-8, 5-6) dropped into a three-way tie with East Stroudsburg (12-11, 5-6) and Millersville (10-12, 5-6) for the fourth playoff spot. Bloomsburg (10-13, 6-5) is alone in third place. West Chester (13-10, 4-7) is still alive in the PSAC East playoff picture.
After Bray's basket provided the first tie of the game since the teams were deadlocked at 13 early in the game, Henry took the inbounds pass, zoomed up the length of the court like a Ferrari with a V8 engine, and dropped a sweet pass to Johnson. It was Henry's fifth assist of the game. After the ball went through the hoop, Keystone Arena exploded in a cacophony of sound and Johnson hit his chest a few times.
“I honestly didn't know how much time was remaining,” Johnson said. “I just got the ball and went straight up with the shot. This was a big win for us because we had lost to Cheyney three straight times and we wanted to stay in first place.”
Johnson led Kutztown with his seventh double-double of the season (20 points, 14 rebounds). Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) also scored 20 points for the Golden Bears. Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) and Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) finished with 19 points as Kutztown displayed its depth and balance in atoning for an earlier defeat at Cope Hall on Jan. 31. Kutztown finished the game making 50 percent (30-for-60) of its shots.
Cheyney also placed four players in double figures highlighted by Sharif Bray's game-high 24 points. Rob Townsend added 17 points. Bruce Kennedy scored 13 points and David Burton finished with 11 points along with eight assists. Overall, Kutztown's defense did a good job on Cheyney's scorers. The Wolves, who shot over 50 percent in the first meeting, made 36.2 percent of their shots.
“I thought we did a good job of making Cheyney work for its shots,” Driscoll said. “Sharif, Bruce and Dave are going to score their points because they're great basketball players. I just told our team we can't let them score consecutive baskets and that was our key.”
Kutztown led, 47-37, at intermission and 68-57 with 8 minutes, 56 seconds remaining. However, the Wolves made enough shots and used the foul line where they were 22-for-24 to hang around and eventually tie the game. The Golden Bears still enjoyed a 77-71 lead with 2:16 left before things got tense.
Kennedy drained a 3-pointer to slice KU's lead in half, 77-74. After a Brennan basket gave Kutztown a 79-74 advantage with 1:12 left, Cheyney made four foul shots sandwiched around a Edwards foul shot to set the stage for the dramatic finish.
While Cheyney thrilled the crowd with three rim-rocking dunks, the Golden Bears quietly took control of the game with a 19-5 burst during a six-minute stretch of the first half. That run helped Kutztown turn a 13-9 deficit with 14:34 remaining into a 28-18 lead with 8:21 left. McBride and Brennan were the catalysts during the run as they combined for 13 points.
The Golden Bears return to action Saturday afternoon when they visit East Stroudsburg University beginning at 3 p.m. Cheyney travels to Bloomsburg Saturday.
--KU--
