KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 8, 2011) – Like a predator hunting its prey, the Kutztown University women's basketball team is quietly lurking in the shadows of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings and ready to strike. With six games remaining, the Golden Bears are in position to influence the outcome of the championship race in their favor.
Kutztown (12-8 overall, 5-3 PSAC East) enters its Wednesday evening showdown against West Chester (15-5, 6-2) at Keystone Arena in fourth place. Game time is at 6 p.m. and fans can follow with live stats. The Golden Bears sit a game behind West Chester and Millersville. The Golden Bears are two games behind PSAC East leader Bloomsburg. Kutztown has dates with all three teams remaining on their schedule.
If Kutztown can extend its winning streak to four games and beat West Chester; it will move into a tie for third place in the PSAC East. The Golden Bears will try to get even for a 75-67 loss at Hollinger Field House on Jan. 19. That was a difficult defeat for KU, which led 38-25 at intermission.
“West Chester beat us earlier and we have to make sure we get this game,” Kutztown head coach Janet Malouf said. “This is a big game for us especially playing at home. We're starting to click as a team and I am proud of our kids right now.”
Kutztown's best basketball may still be yet to come. The Golden Bears tied a school record by making 14 3-pointers in their 79-68 win over Shippensburg Sunday afternoon. All three wins during their winning streak have been by double digits. Even in their losses to West Chester and Millersville, Kutztown held a double-digit advantage in the second half.
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t seemed as if everybody except Avalanche was making 3-pointers against the Red Raiders. Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) and Meredith Starr (Richmond, VA/Monacan) led the assault with four apiece. Melissa McQuade (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler), who scored 22 of her 26 points in the second half, added three 3-pointers. Sophomore Jackie Burg (West Chester, PA/Bishop Shanahan) made two during an eight-minute stint and Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) hit one.
“That's great the team got a chance to tie the record,” Malouf said. “A lot of people were shooting threes, which tells me we were moving the ball well as a team. That's a big thing for our team and we have kids who have the potential to do that.”
Burg is one of those players. Every successful team needs players like Burg. She has improved significantly from last season and is playing with more confidence this season. In practice, she's the leader of the second team unit. During games, she patiently waits for her opportunity to produce. This season, she's averaging two points in 11 games, but those numbers only tell half the story for Burg, who has been playing basketball since she was 5 years old.
The six points she scored against Shippensburg were a career high. Her shot looked pure and sharp. Shooting was one area Burg worked on during a hard summer of improvement. Burg isn't guaranteed playing time, but she stays ready. In a six-minute stint against Bloomsburg, Burg delivered three assists.
“It's very mentally challenging wondering whether you're going to go into the game or not,” Burg said. “You have to make sure you take warm-up's seriously because you never know what is going to happen in the course of the game, so when my name does get called I can go out there and contribute to this team.”
Kutztown has shown tremendous character this season, playing the bulk of the conference season without senior leader Kristen Murray (Harrisburg, PA/Trinity). Several players have lifted their games lately as KU chases the conference championship. The Golden Bears have finally adjusted and appear to be rolling at the right time. The affable Burg is having fun and enjoying being a member of the Golden Bears.
“This team is full of amazing girls and we have so much fun,” Burg said. “When you know what they're capable of you want to go out there and give them the ball and be an impact. The veterans are not only my teammates but housemates as well and they have given me so much advice during my time here.”
Meanwhile, both of West Chester's conference setbacks were on the road to Millersville and Bloomsburg. In its last outing against Mansfield, West Chester rallied from an early 14-point deficit to win, 62-46. Alex Lennon and Allison Hostetter each registered double-doubles.
Lennon scored 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked six shots for West Chester. Hostetter scored 10 points and grabbed 14 boards while recording seven steals. Megan Stewart scored 15 points, and Mary Kate Serratelli added 10 points. West Chester shot just 32.9 percent from the field (24 of 73), but the difference was in the number of shots for each side. Mansfield attempted just 51 shots as the Mountaineers were harassed into 35 turnovers.
“I love playing West Chester because that's my hometown,” Burg said. “Even though I love West Chester, I am now a Golden Bear so if I get the chance to go in the game I want to show my hometown what I'm capable of.”
Kutztown hits the road for its next game when it visits Bloomsburg University. West Chester travels to East Stroudsburg. Both games are Saturday at 1 p.m.
“We know we can play with every team in this conference and that gives us so much confidence going into these next three weeks,” Starr said. “Everybody's excited because we know if we continue to play as a team that we can get a high seed in the PSAC playoffs. We have a lot of positive energy right now.”
--KU--
