KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 8, 2011) – The Kutztown University men's basketball team is ready to get back to action after a rare home loss.
Kutztown knows it let an opportunity to open some distance between themselves and the rest of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division slip through its fingers. However, the Golden Bears aren't spending a lot of time sweating over their Sunday setback to Shippensburg University. They are still in a place that the other seven schools in the conference would gladly trade places with.
Kutztown remains in first place by a game over Mansfield as it concludes a three-game homestand by hosting a very dangerous and talented West Chester University team Wednesday night at Keystone Arena. The game starts at 8 p.m. Kutztown is still in a good position to do some great things, so nobody is pressing the panic button.
The Golden Bears (13-7 overall, 6-2 PSAC East) claimed a 73-62 victory over the Golden Rams (12-8, 3-5) on Jan. 19. Kutztown has won four of the last five matchups against West Chester. KU is looking to get back on track after dropping an 87-84 decision to Shippensburg. The Golden Rams have an extra bounce in their step after knocking off Mansfield, 64-51.
“We didn't play a good KU game today,” Kutztown head coach Bernie Driscoll said following the loss to Shippensburg. “You're in first place; you ought to act like a team in first place. Give Shippensburg credit because they played a very good game.”
One trademark of the Golden Bears this season has been their fighting spirit. As long as there is time on the clock, they always believe they're going to win no matter the deficit. Kutztown trailed Shippensburg and Slippery Rock by 13 points in the second half and yet rallied to put itself in a position to win the game. Earlier this season, Kutztown overcame nine-point second half deficits to beat Lincoln (Pa.) and Mansfield.
The Golden Bears were missing second leading scorer Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area) in their loss to Shippensburg. However, Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson) picked up the slack by scoring a career-high 18 points and buried four 3-pointers. Guard Eric Henry (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg) also had a career-high 16 points. Kutztown also got 16 points from Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter).
Johnson has been a force all season for Kutztown. Even though KU dropped two of three games last week, he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson, who leads KU in scoring (16.1 ppg.) and rebounding (8.8 rpg.), has recorded five double-doubles this season. He has scored 20 or more points five times this season.
Also averaging double digits for the Golden Bears are Gray (12.8), Edwards (11.8) and Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) (10.8). Edwards has been very consistent for KU this season. He has scored in double figures in five of KU's last six games.
West Chester will be wary of Coffey because he burned the Golden Rams for 17 points in the earlier matchup.
“We can't dwell on the Shippensburg game,” Coffey said. “We came out flat. We know West Chester is going to ready so we have to match their intensity from the start and raise it as the game goes along. We also realize that everybody is going to be gunning for us since we're in first place. We have to play every second like it's our last.”
In its victory over Mansfield that secured the season sweep for the Golden Rams, Carl Johnson scored a team-high 15 points off the bench. West Chester's duo from Academy of New Church High School in Philadelphia, Shannon Givens and Khalif Foster, each posted 12 points. Givens contributed eight rebounds and five steals to the cause as well. Kehinde Roberts posted 11 points for the Golden Rams to round out four players in double figures. West Chester has been led in scoring by somebody different in its last five contests.
The Rams are 2-5 on the road this season with wins at Mansfield and Shippensburg. Givens leads four West Chester players who average double figures with an 11.4 point per game average. Also adding to West Chester's balanced scoring are Lance McDowell (10.8 ppg.), Roberts (10.0), and Khalif Foster (10.0). Miguel Bocachica leads West Chester with 33 made 3-pointers. Eli Daniel and Givens have combined to make 45 3-pointers this season.
West Chester is a tenacious rebounding team. The Golden Rams lead the PSAC in offensive rebounds per game and they are fourth overall in rebounding margin (+6). West Chester is also second in the PSAC in 3-point field goal defense (30.9 percent) and fourth in scoring defense (66.9 %).
Kutztown hits the road for its next game when it visits Bloomsburg University. West Chester travels to East Stroudsburg. Both games are Saturday at 3 p.m.
