KUTZTOWN, Pa. (January 18, 2012)—Junior Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) (Limerick, PA./Spring-Ford) paced the Kutztown University women's basketball team to a 76-66 win over Cheyney University, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division game, Wednesday night at Keystone Arena.

The Golden Bears (5-12, 3-8 PSAC) placed three players in double figures in scoring as Wood finished with a team-high 23 points.  The Wolves (0-15, 0-11 PSAC) were led by Aerie DeJesus who finished with 26 points.

Kutztown took a 33-23 lead at halftime after an intense first half that featured six lead changes and four ties.

Cheyney used a 3-0 run early in the second half where a jumper from Linda Henderson and two layups from Nadirah Brown would cut KU's lead to 39-36 with 16 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.

However Kutztown instantaneously fueled a 10-1 run that lasted over three minutes and pushed the Golden Bears to a 53-39 advantage with 12:33 left to play. The Wolves continued to hang around and found their closest reach to the Golden Bears with 1:58 remaining after baskets from Brown and DeJesus wedged KU's 69-64 lead. 

Kutztown continued to control the game for the final minutes as it snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Golden Bears shot 43.1 percent and were 10-for-23 from the field in the second half.

Wood got hot early and recorded 12 of her 23 points in the first half. She was 8-for-17 from the field and finished with a team-high six assists, tying her career-high. She also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.

“My main focus was getting my teammates the ball,” Wood said. “The tempo in the first half was great. We came out making shots and got great looks. Cheyney continued to stay with us during the second half, but we pulled it out. “

Sophomore Andrea Sisson (Richmond, VA/Godwin) (Richmond, VA./Godwin) finished with 14 points and sophomore Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional) (Surf City, NJ./Southern Regional) chipped in 12. Hodgson, the PSAC's best free throw shooter, was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.  Junior Steph Zewe (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) (Lewistown, PA./Indian Valley) has been Kutztown's leader on defense and recorded a game-high 11 boards. Freshman Nicole Donahue (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) (Wall, NJ./St. Rose) also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.

DeJesus led all scorers with 26 points and added six assists. Brown finished with 16 points and led the Wolves in rebounding (eight).

KU's bench outscored Cheyney's 16-6 as its underclassmen continue to provide depth and support on all sides of the ball for the Golden Bears.

“We definitely needed this win,” Kutztown University head coach Janet Malouf said. “There were times in the game when Ashley stepped up.  If she continues to become more consistent, it'll help the team. We still have a lot of games left and when we begin to stay consistent, we'll be the team I know we can be.”

The Golden Bears will host Millersville University on Saturday, Jan. 21 for a PSAC game beginning at 1 p.m. at Keystone Arena.

“This game has given us momentum for Millersville,” Wood said. “When you're coming off a win, it's easier to take that transition into the next game.  Saturday is going to be tough.  Millersville is a very athletic team and we have to be on our A game.”