Box Score Kutztown, Pa. – A late jumper with three seconds in regulation from Goldey-Beacom spoiled the Kutztown University women's basketball season opener as the Golden Bears fell, 67-66, on Monday night at Keystone Arena.
Alyssa Bonenberger (Walnutport, PA/Northampton Area) led the Golden Bears with 16 points and six boards. The junior shot 7-of-13 from the floor in 38 minutes of action.
Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional) chipped in with 12 points, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line and dished out four assists.
Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) and
Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) were the other two Golden Bears to reach double figures as Lee scored 11 on 5-of-8 shooting in her collegiate debut and Wood added 10.
A majority of the second half was back and forth with seven lead changes and five ties before the Maroon and Gold could get things going. After Goldey-Beacom tied the game at 59-59 at the 4:50 mark in the second, the offense responded with a 7-0 run, sparked by a Hodgson jumper and a York three-pointer.
From there, turnovers and missed opportunities in the final three minutes would come back to haunt KU as the Lightning outscored Kutztown, 8-0, in the final 130 seconds en route to the 67-66 win. Jacinda Jones hit a 10-foot jumper on the baseline with three seconds on the clock to put Goldey-Beacom in front.
Wood battled with early foul trouble, playing just 16 minutes. The senior put together a strong second half to help grab the lead with eight of her 10 points and four of her five assists after the break.
Aly York (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) came off the bench to provide a spark and scored all of her nine points in the second as well.
The Lightning jumped out to an early lead, which they held the entire first half. Kutztown battled back, not allowing Goldey-Beacom to grab a lead larger than seven points and pulled back to within two on multiple occasions. After Bonenberger cut the lead to two with under a minute left in the first, a layup by GBC's Briana Richmond-Peters with seven seconds left, allowed the Lightning to take a 33-29 lead into half.
GBC held the advantage on the glass, controlling 44 rebounds while Kutztown recorded 36. The Golden Bears struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting just 28-percent but picked it up in the second at 57-percent.
Jones was the top scorer on the evening for the Lightning, registering a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and one steal. The next two leading scorers for Goldey-Beacom were Irene Hudson and Devonne Richardson who tallied nine apiece.
The Golden Bears will return to action on Tuesday, November 20th, when they welcome Washington Adventist to Keystone Arena. Tip off is slated for a 6:00 p.m. start.
