Box Score



SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Led by a 14-point performance from Nicole Donahue (Wall, N.J./St. Rose), the Kutztown University women's basketball team defeated Shippensburg, 69-62, on the road at Heiges Field House.
 
Donahue shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from line, and led the Golden Bears with seven rebounds on the afternoon. Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) was the next leading scorer for KU as she went for 12 points, three rebounds and handed out two assists.
 
Falling behind by four after the first 20 minutes of action, Kutztown came out of the locker room with a sense of urgency, exploding on a 21-8 spurt. Alyssa Bonenberger (Walnutport, PA/Northampton Area) ignited the run, scoring six of her 10 points throughout the stretch making the lead, 45-34, with 13:10 to play in regulation.
 
With the 11-point lead, the Maroon and Gold did not look back, building a lead as large as 19 points on a Tanejha Smith (Allentown, PA/William Allen) layup at the 4:37 mark. Shippensburg would close out the game on a 16-4 run but the lead was too much as KU held on for the win.
 
In the first half, a quick two baskets from Ashley Wood (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) gave Kutztown the early 4-1 advantage but the Red Raiders would answer with a three-pointer from Sarah Strybuc. The rest of the half would go much of the same way as the lead changed seven times.
 
In the final minutes of the first frame, Shippensburg enjoyed an eight-point run to take a comfortable 28-19 lead before the Maroon and Gold rebounded with a Lee layup and an Ariana Apostolopoulos three-pointer to cut the lead to 28-24 at the break.  
 
Stephanie Knauer led Shippensburg with an outstanding performance, going for 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 18 rebounds, 11 of which were on the offensive end. The only other Red Raider to reach double figures in scoring was Strybuc with 11 points.
 
The Maroon and Gold benefitted from a great defensive effort by holding SU to just 33 percent shooting as it shoot 48 percent.
 
The Red Raiders held an advantage in the rebound department, 47-37, but turned the ball over 23 times, while the Golden Bears committed 19 turnovers.
 
The Golden Bears will have the next 10 days to prepare for a busy two-day stretch when they host Clarion on Tuesday (12/18) and Lock Haven on Wednesday (12/19) at Keystone Arena. Both games a slated for 5:30 p.m. starts.