Box Score



Sciences 86, Kutztown 72 (HTML Box Score)
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Garrett Kerr and Sho DaSilva combined for 68 points to lead the University of the Sciences past the Kutztown University men's basketball team 86-72 on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference matchup at Keystone Arena.
 
It was a tale of two halves for the Golden Bears (3-7). Everything was going according to plan in the first half - Kutztown led by seven at the break (36-29), shot 50 percent from the field, held a +8 differential in rebounding (18-10), and had seven players score compared to the Devils' three.
 
The Devils (8-4) turned things around to start the second half with 11 of the game's next 12 points to take a 40-37 lead just more than three minutes out of the locker room. It was their first lead since 8-7. Leading by four midway through the second half, USP went on a 11-2 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game at 67-54.
 
After shooting 50 percent in the first half and leading by as many as 13, Kutztown shot 34.3 percent from the field in the second half. KU was unable to create turnovers and allowed Sciences to make four three-pointers in the opening portion of the second half to take all of the momentum.
 
Kutztown's Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) scored a team-high 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. He made some smooth step-back jumpers to try and jump-start Kutztown in the second half, and shot 7-for-8 at the free throw line. He also had six rebounds.
 
Redshirt freshman Elijah Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) looked sharp, especially in the first half, as he finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Sophomore Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) was Kutztown's third double-digit scorer with 13, 10 of which came in the first half.
 
Freshman Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown), this week's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Freshman of the Week, finished with eight points and seven rebounds and played in just seven minutes in the second half due to an injury. It ends his streak of nine consecutive games scoring in double figures to start a career, the longest streak at Kutztown since 1985.
 
Sophomore Tracy Peal grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, five of which came in the first half, with four assists, but managed just eight points on 4-of-14 shooting in 34 minutes.
 
Kerr and DaSilva scored 43 of their 68 points in the second half and combined to shoot 17-for-20 from the free throw line and 58.5 percent from the field (24-for-41). It is the first time in the Bernie Driscoll era that two players scored 30 points against Kutztown.
 
It is the second time Kerr has scored more than 30 against Kutztown, and the third time he finished with a double-double, as he also had with a game-high 10 rebounds. He scored 32 with 19 rebounds last season, and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds in his freshman year in 2011. For his career, Kerr averages 30.7 points and 15.7 rebounds against KU.
 
Sciences scored 18 points off 15 Kutztown turnovers, as the Golden Bears managed just four points on six turnovers by the Devils.
 
The Golden Bears will look to start the New Year off on a good note with their first win at Keystone Arena when they host Seton Hill University and California University (PA) this weekend in PSAC crossover play. KU tips off against Seton Hill on Friday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m., and takes on California (PA) on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m.