EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. (February 19, 2011) – The Kutztown University women's basketball team sprinted to an early double-digit advantage and cruised to a 61-42 victory over East Stroudsburg University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse. (BOXSCORE)
This was Kutztown's seventh straight win over East Stroudsburg.
With the win, Kutztown (14-10 overall, 7-5 PSAC East) moved one step closer to securing a playoff berth for the third straight season. The Golden Bears need one victory in its final two games to nail down the East's No. 4 seed. KU can also clinch if Shippensburg stumbles in one of its final two contests.
Sophomore guard Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) paced the Kutztown attack with 21 points. She scored 13 points after intermission. For Wood, it was her 10th straight game scoring in double figures and ninth time leading the team in scoring this year. Wood, who also pulled down six rebounds, was 8-for-16 from the field as Kutztown completed a season sweep of the Warriors (5-20, 2-10).
Also contributing double figures for Kutztown was senior Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) (15 points, eight rebounds) and freshman Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) (10 points). For her outstanding career, McQuade has 1,573 points and 934 rebounds. Meredith Starr (Richmond, VA/Monacan) added seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
Wood is earning the reputation as a streak starter. With Kutztown clinging to a 27-21 lead with 3 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes, the diminutive spark plug finished the half by scoring KU's final six points. She started the second half with a basket. Overall, the Golden Bears scored 12 straight points that bridged each half to take control of the contest for good.
By the time, McQuade scored consecutive baskets to finish the KU scoring surge, the Golden Bears held a 39-21 bulge with 17:22 remaining. Kutztown's advantage eventually peaked at 46-23 following a Sisson 3-pointer with 12:07 left.
East Stroudsburg held its only lead of the game, 3-0. Starr gave the Golden Bears the lead for good, 5-3, when she drained a 3-pointer with 15:40 remaining in the opening half. Defensively, Kutztown limited ESU to 30.4 percent shooting (17-for-56). Mia Waring and Brittany McClain led the Warriors with 12 points each.
Kutztown returns to action Wednesday night when it visits Mansfield in its final regular season road game. The game begins at 5:30 p.m. Meanwhile, East Stroudsburg hosts Bloomsburg University starting at 6 p.m.
