KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 3, 2011) – Kutztown University's 95-88 overtime victory over Mansfield University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division first place showdown was all that and then some. The exciting contest that had Keystone Hall rocking featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. (BOXSCORE)
This game was so good that fans should've paid upon exiting the game. Mansfield and Kutztown treated the crowd to a breathtaking sneak preview of playoff-type basketball and intensity.
Kutztown (13-6 overall, 6-1 PSAC East) is halfway to its goal of winning the conference for the second time in three years. While it leads Mansfield (13-6, 5-2) by a game, Kutztown has a two-game edge over Cheyney and Bloomsburg and a three-game cushion over East Stroudsburg, Cheyney, and Millersville as the second half of the PSAC East schedule begins. West Chester and Shippensburg trail KU by four games.
The Golden Bears rode the dominant effort and career-high scoring performance of senior forward Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) to return to their rightful place – atop the PSAC East standings at the halfway mark of the conference race. Johnson, the reigning PSAC East Player of the Week, was a beast as he finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds. In finishing with his fifth double-double of the season, Johnson was 12-for-18 from the field and 6-for-8 from the foul line.
“We didn't play a very clean game, but I thought we were very resilient,” Kutztown University head coach Bernie Driscoll said. “Any team could've won the game. I was happy with what we did and the effort of my kids. I thought Tamir played probably the best game I've had a big man play here in my 11 years coaching.”
Johnson had plenty of help. Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) made four 3-pointers to finish with a career best 19 points. His first 3-pointer in the second half was probably the biggest shot of the game for the Golden Bears, who trailed, 58-49, with 13 minutes, 9 seconds remaining. The shot answered a Derrison Anthony dunk and got the Golden Bears going.
McBride also forced the final tie of regulation, 80-80, with a driving layup with 50 seconds remaining.
Also finishing in double digits for Kutztown was senior Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area) (15 points, seven rebounds) and Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) (13 points, one humungous charge taken with seven seconds remaining in regulation). Overall, the Golden Bears got meaningful minutes from everybody who played.
Jermaine Jackson (Blandon, PA/Reading) swatted another shot halfway across the state in the first half and took a charge late in the game. Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson) hit two big shots in the second half to help Kutztown overcome Mansfield's balanced scoring attack that included 13 3-pointers.
Tony Fannick scored 20 of his team-high 25 points in the second half. He missed one shot the entire game. Kyle Bradley (16 points), Derrison Anthony (14 points), and Lavail Owens (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Mountaineers, who entered the game ranked seventh in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional rankings.
This game featured a little of everything. Both teams had plenty of floor burns after diving for every loose ball and scratches after battling for rebounds and going through screens. Man-to-man defense was out. Soul-to-soul defense was in. Players on both sides made tough and difficult shots consistently. Gray nailed a half-court buzzer beater to finish the opening 20 minutes.
Although Kutztown never trailed in overtime, the entire gym held its breath as Mansfield's Charles Harper missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 90 seconds remaining that would've give Mansfield a one-point lead. Kutztown led, 87-85 at the time.
Make no mistake though, this night belonged to Johnson, who had a chip on his shoulder the size of Berks County. This was personal for the affable Johnson, who scored nine of KU's 15 points in the extra five minutes.
Johnson scored Kutztown's first seven points of overtime to help the Golden Bears rebound from their first conference loss to Cheyney early in the week. While Johnson lit up the scoreboard with a scoring display to remember, his best and perhaps biggest contribution came on the defensive end of the floor. Guarding Mansfield's leading scorer Yuseff Carr, Johnson limited the talented forward to seven harmless points.
“I knew playing against Yuseff, I had to step my game up,” Johnson said. “Last year, when I played against him for the first time, he treated me like a little boy. This year, I just wanted to give him everything I had and play my game. The points are nice, but I am just happy that we won this game as a team.”
It wasn't easy as Kutztown also trailed, 80-78, with 1:10 remaining. The wild and crazy ending concluded with Eric Henry (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg)'s game-winning attempt with no time on the clock at the end of regulation rolling off the rim.
Kutztown's largest lead of regulation was four points (43-39). Mansfield answered with a 19-6 run to open its biggest bulge of the contest. That 58-49 lead was short-lived as McBride and Gray drained consecutive 3-pointers to bring KU to within, 58-55, and let everybody know it would be around until the end.
Both squads have little time to recover as they return to conference play on Saturday afternoon. Kutztown hosts Shippensburg. Mansfield heads to West Chester. Both games begin at 3 p.m. The KU-Shippensburg game will be broadcast live on WEEU-830 AM.
“Our goal is to win the PSAC title,” Driscoll said. “We still have some tough games remaining. No one remembers who the leader is in a marathon at the 13-mile mark. We're happy with where we are, however we need to clean some things up as we move forward.”
--KU--
