Box Score



KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Fans expecting to see an emotional, down to the wire finish between the Kutztown and Cheyney University men's basketball team's Wednesday evening were not disappointed.  Well, half of that at least.
 
It was another exciting Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game for the Golden Bears as the two teams combined for five technical fouls down the stretch. But a 13-point differential in the second half broke the game open as KU rolled to its sixth straight win of the season, defeating the Wolves of Cheyney, 96-79 at Keystone Arena.
 
Kutztown (10-5 overall, 7-4 PSAC) shot 9-of-11 from downtown, headed by a 6-for-8 performance by KU senior guard Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) (Richmond, VA/Hill School).  McBride finished with a team-high 28 points as he shot 7-of-12 from the field and converted on 8-of-9 free throw attempts.  McBride, the conference's second-leading scorer, eclipsed the 25-point mark for the fifth time this season.
 
McBride and Cheyney guard Jason Sabb seemed to have their own battle of who could make the tougher shot and lead their team to victory.  Sabb was the Wolves' main option all night as he finished with a game-high 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting.
 
Despite the large margin of victory, it didn't always seem like a sure victory for KU.  The opening twenty minutes featured a bevy of 10-point runs as each team showed signs of chemistry and team defense.  After a back and forth start, KU used a 13-2 run to give the Golden Bears their first double-digit lead of the game at 25-14 with 11:19 to go.  Cheyney rallied with a charge of its own and would eventually retake the lead, 35-34, with 4:22 remaining in the half.  The high scoring start to the 'later than usual tipoff' concluded with KU holding a 47-44 advantage going into break.
 
“Coming out of the first half, we just had to try and turn up the tempo,” KU senior guard Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) said.  “The first half was playing into their favor with a low scoring game. But finishing with 96 points, that's a tempo we need to play at to be successful.”
 
The Golden Bears found their stride at the 11:36 mark in the second half as McBride's final 3-pointer jumpstarted a 19-4 run, capped off with an Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) (Chester, PA/West Catholic) layup to give KU an 18-point, 82-64 advantage with 6:51 to play.  The lead would grow to as many as 23 as the Wolves were not able to rally back.
 
Brennan notched his seventh double-double of the season and third in row with a game-high 13 rebounds and as many points.  The PSAC East Athlete of the Week shot 6-for-13 from the floor and has been the base of the KU offense as of late.
 
Edwards finished right above his scoring average Wednesday for a KU unit that is averaging over 88 points per game in its longest winning streak since the 2009-10 season.  The senior guard was hindered by foul trouble in the opening half, but helped lead the KU troops to victory with an aggressiveness that got him to the charity stripe, and in the process, fouling out an eventual three Wolves.  Edwards had 20 points on just 5-of-7 shooting from the field, but to no surprise, capitalized on his trips to the line as he made 9-of-10 attempts.
 
Rounding out the Golden Bear quartet of double-digit scorers was junior guard Micah Fraction (Macungie, PA/Montrose Christian) (Macungie, PA/Montrose Christian).  He had 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting and has come alive with KU's latest success.  Fraction has now scored in double figures in six straight games. 
 
With Edwards facing foul trouble early, freshman guard Abdul King (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution) (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution) turned in some hard-earned minutes in what would be a career-night.  King used his speed and toughness to grab a career-best eight rebounds, six of which coming in the first half.  King, along with his fellow underclassmen, has seen extended minutes as of late as KU nears the midway point of its conference season.  As the second place Golden Bears get deeper into its season, the durability and consistency of their freshman class will be essential.
 
“Abdul did great for us tonight,” Edwards said.  “If myself or anyone else is in foul trouble, we need someone to come off the bench, not necessarily to score, but to control the boards and at times defending the other team's best player.”
 
Along with Sabb, four Wolves finished in double figures in scoring.  Brandon Baylor entered the contest as one of the PSAC's top scorers and finished with 15 on the night before eventually fouling out.  Jerrod Johnson and Donte Woody were also effective for CU with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
KU's latest streak may seem a bit sudden to some, as it was not able to win two in a row up until now.  The increased performance of KU's 'fab five' along with its role players are signs that have followers around the conference wondering if this winning streak will ever end.
 
“We have a lot of new faces this year and early on, I think there was a lot of getting used to playing with each other,” Edwards said.  “Right now, we are really starting to mesh and understand what we each do well and what we each need to do in order to win games.  Right now, that's playing tough on defense and working the ball inside to Eric, because Eric is our best playmaker and is able to open the floor up for the rest of us.”
 
Kutztown looks for magic number seven on Saturday, Jan. 21 as it hosts Millersville University before its two-game road trip.  Tipoff at Keystone Arena is set for 3 p.m.