Box Score



EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Everything seemed to be clicking for the Kutztown University men's basketball team Saturday afternoon.  KU held East Stroudsburg University to 27.5 percent shooting from the floor to help guide it to a 75-61 win in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division clash at Koehler Fieldhouse.
 
The Golden Bears (9-5 overall, 6-4 PSAC) won their fifth game in a row and hold the second spot in the East.  It was KU's first win at Koehler Fieldhouse since the 2009-10 season and was the largest margin of victory since a 93-70, 23-point, win at home in the 2008-09 campaign.
 
Senior forward Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) (Chester, PA/West Catholic) grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds while chipping in 13 points and seven assists.  It was his team-leading sixth double-double of the season and second in as many games.  He also had a team-high three steals.
 
Each team opened in full court defense hoping to gain an early advantage.  Kutztown displayed great communication and drive in breaking up ESU passes and turning it into quick points the other way.  Overall, KU forced 17 turnovers off nine team steals as the shooting percentage from ESU was the lowest KU has allowed all season.
 
“I thought we defended really well,” head coach Bernie Driscoll said.  “We played good team defense and we executed our game plan well.  Every time one of their guys caught the ball, we had two or three guys around them and that really helped us apply pressure.”
 
Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) scored eight points in the opening seven minutes including all four of his free throw attempts, but early foul trouble forced KU's second leading scorer to sit the bench for the final 12 minutes of the first half.  Edwards' fresh legs helped mount the KU attack in the second half as the senior guard finished with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field.
 
Kutztown stretched its first half lead to as many as ten with a Brennan up-and-under layup with 1:42 to go, giving KU a 34-24 lead.  KU has led at half in every game during its current winning streak as it took a 37-29 advantage into break. 
 
Junior guard Micah Fraction (Macungie, PA/Montrose Christian) (Macungie, PA/Montrose Christian) led all scorers with 20 points including 14 in the second half.  He shot 50 percent (8-for-16) from the field with a game-high two 3-pointers.  He also added four assists and two steals.
 
KU shot 44.8 percent (26-for-58) from the field in the victory.  The third-best team in Division II in free throw percentage converted on 20-of-27 attempts at the line as KU senior guard Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) (Richmond, VA/Hill School) led the way with an 8-for-9 performance at the charity stripe.  McBride, this week's PSAC Athlete of the Week, finished with 14 points.
 
The Warriors (9-7, 5-5) also brought a defensive presence throughout by making KU work the ball around without allowing an easy shot.  Notably, neither team made a 3-pointer in the first half for the first time in KU's season.  What started the year as a transition perimeter team, Kutztown found other ways to get the ball in the hoop which brings nothing but positive signs for the future.
 
“We've made the adjustments of what we need to do to win,” Driscoll said.  “Eric's a great passer, so we tried to get the ball inside to him.  He's got some good offensive moves and he did a great job.  He helps us so much on the boards and even though I don't think we were the biggest team out there tonight, I think we played with a lot of heart.”    
 
Edwards made KU's first long-range bucket at the 16:49 mark to give KU a 13-point lead, 47-34.  The lead grew to as many as 21 in the second half off a Demerik Weglinski (Reading, PA/Reading) (Reading, PA/Reading) layup with 11:33 to go.
 
The KU bench, headed by Weglinski and fellow freshman Kenny Battle (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep), turned in some tough minutes Saturday in holding the KU lead and preventing East Stroudsburg from narrowing the gap.  Weglinski chipped in four points with a career-high eight rebounds in the victory, as Battle notched a career-best five points by making both of his field goal attempts.
 
Senior guard Russell Graham III led the ESU scoring attack with 16 on 4-for-14 shooting.  He was 8-for-10 at the line and had a pair of steals.  Freshman guard Whis Grant rounded out the pair of double-digit scorers with 12 on 5-of-9 shooting.  The Warriors also had two players averaging double figures fail to reach the 10-point plateau.
 
The Golden Bears look to extend their winning streak to six on Wednesday, Jan. 18 as they host Cheyney University in an Eastern Division matchup beginning at 8 p.m. at Keystone Arena.  KU and Cheyney split the season series last year.