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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Coming off its season-opening victory last weekend, the Kutztown University men's basketball team is excited to take on Wilmington University for its home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Keystone Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
The Golden Bears (1-0) are coming off a season-opening win on the road at Goldey-Beacom last Friday night. Sophomore guard Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) scored a career-high 20 points in a 62-58 victory for Kutztown, who has now opened its regular season with a win for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
 
Looking ahead to its matchup against Wilmington (1-3) Wednesday night, KU won last year's meeting on the road, 92-68. Tracy Peal scored a then-career-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. His 10 made field goals are still a career-best. Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) and Connolly each grabbed seven rebounds in the contest as Kutztown won the battle of the boards, 43-34.
 
The victory also marked head coach Bernie Driscoll's 200th career win.
 
A pair of freshman stepped up and played a significant role in Kutztown's season-opening win. Forward Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) came off the bench and made his first five shots and went 5-for-6 overall for 12 points in 21 minutes on the floor. He also led the team with nine rebounds and a pair of blocks, including one in the final minute of regulation.
 
Point guard Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) was right behind Johnson with 11 points and a game-high six assists. He grabbed five rebounds in 37 minutes on the floor, and helped Kutztown dish out 15 assists, tied for the second-most of all last season.
 
Wilmington senior guard Herbert Dennis is starting his 2013-14 season off quite strong, as he's averaging 16 points per game through four games. Although Dennis shoots with high volume, his 45.8 percentage shooting is above the team's average. Also of note, the guard leads the Wildcats with 15 assists so far this season.
 
Through the team's 1-3 start, Wilmington struggles the most in the rebounding battle. In the four games, the Wildcats were outrebounded, 165-127. This means that Wilmington loses the battle of the boards by a 9.5 average per game. The team's leading rebounder, Ta'Vaune Griffin, averages 6.5 rebounds per game.
 
Following its non-conference battle with the Wildcats, Kutztown opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play against East Stroudsburg University, one of its greatest rivals, on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Keystone Arena beginning at 3 p.m.