Box Score



Indiana (PA) 76, Kutztown 62 (HTML Box Score)
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – A six-and-a-half minute run late in the second half proved to be the fateful decider for the Kutztown University women's basketball on Saturday afternoon, as the visiting Indiana (PA) Crimson Hawks rattled off 15 unanswered points to give it the 76-62 victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover game from Keystone Arena.
 
Down 53-56 with 8:03 left in the game, KU's Jess Harvey (Barnegat, N.J./Rumson Fair-Haven Regional) swished a three-pointer from Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) to tie the game. Harvey stole the ball on the next possession at half court, taking it in for the easy layup to give KU its largest lead of the second half (58-56). However, the Maroon and Gold lost all momentum after the timeout break, as IUP came out with a dominating 15-0 run. Now down 71-58, there was just not enough time left on the clock for KU to mount a comeback, giving IUP its ninth win this season (76-62).
 
In a first half filled with three-point bombs and plenty of traveling calls, five lead changes led to IUP escaping into the locker room holding a one-point lead, 37-36.
 
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) got it going for the Golden Bears (5-5) early, hitting her first attempt of the game for three points. IUP (9-1) answered back with a trey of its own to tie the game at 7-7 (17:30).
 
Freshman Kara Funk (Dover, Pa./Dover) checked into the game for KU, nailing both of her first two shots from beyond the arc to give the Maroon and Gold a spark. Funk and Nicole Donahue (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) finished the first half with a team-high eight points each off the bench.
 
IUP did not see its first lead of the game until 13 minutes left in the first half, when a Zhane Brooks layup put it up 14-13.
 
IUP continued to take it to the Golden Bears. The Crimson Hawk's opened up a 13-2 run at 11:32 that lasted almost six minutes, giving them the largest lead of the first half for either team (20-29).
 
KU battled its way back into the game with a run of its own, putting up eight unanswered points to bring the score back within one point (34-35). Both squads sunk two more free throws a piece before the halftime buzzer.
 
IUP dominated the boards in the first half (18-to-7) but committed 14 turnovers to KU's nine.
 
After hitting seven three-pointers in the first half, IUP recorded its 10th triple with 13:17 left in the second half, finishing 11-for-21 on the game from beyond the arc.
 
Lee tied her career-high with seven assists in the defeat, while leading the team with six boards and adding nine points.
 
Alyssa Bonenberger (Walnutport, PA/Northampton Area) led the way for the Golden Bears with 12 points, with Funk tallying 10 points off the bench. Bonenberger and Advia Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) grabbed four boards each, while Campbell swatted the only two blocks in the game for either team.
 
Bonenberger and Donahue each went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw stripe.
 
KU got a huge lift from its bench in the first half, with the trio of Funk, Donahue, and Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) accounting for 20 of the team's first 36 points.

IUP feautred five girls scoring in double-figures for the win. Leslie Stapleton led the Hawk's with 21 points off the bench, hitting five three-pointers. Zhane Brooks recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Talen Watson added 15 points and three assists. 
 
Kutztown will have to wait until the New Year to return to the hardwood, taking on Seton Hill at home on Jan. 3, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.