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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team aims for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division winning streak as it hosts West Chester University on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
 
After Wednesday's 85-74 win at Mansfield, the Golden Bears (2-3, 1-1 PSAC East) are now at .500 in the division. With a win against the visiting Golden Rams (5-2, 2-1), Kutztown can move up to third place through two weeks of conference play. West Chester is suddenly in a position to move as low as fifth place, but it will be a tough out to say the least. The PSAC East preseason favorites were knocked off in the final seconds in an 86-85 loss at Millersville on Wednesday, which ended a five-game win streak.
 
Kutztown is coming off a momentum-building victory over Mansfield on Wednesday night in which it led from start to finish and led 19-2 in the early going. Senior Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) led the Golden Bears and flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, six rebounds, and a career-high-tying eight assists. For the season, he is second on the team at 14 points per game, and is second on the team in assists (18) and third in rebounding (4.8).
 
Its success so far stems very largely on its success both offensively and defensively from three-point range. In KU's two wins, the Golden Bears shot 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from three, while their opponents shot 6-of-42 (14.3 percent). In KU's three losses, the Golden Bears shot 6-of-28 (21.4 percent) from three, while their opponents shot an outstanding 23-of-46 (50 percent). Expect those percentages to converge as the year progresses.
 
With freshman forward Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) scoring 12 points in Wednesday's game at Mansfield, he became the first KU freshman since Kevin Handy to score in double digits in each of his first five games. Handy did so in each of his first seven in the 1999-2000 season. With no worse than 11 points in any game, and at least six rebounds in his first four games, Johnson already stands out as a consistent offensive force.
 
Sophomore forward Tracy Peal leads the team with 14.2 points per game. Improving his game shape and shooting range from last season, Peal now looks like arguably the top focal point offensively after Brooks. Peal leads the team in both field goal and free throws attempts. He also has 5.4 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team, and his 50 percent shooting from the floor ranks 12th in the PSAC.
 
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) has filled his role at the point guard position very well in his first year in the Maroon and Gold. He leads the PSAC with a 3.2 assist/turnover ratio as he has dished out 19 assists to six turnovers. He averages nine points and 3.8 rebounds as well.
 
West Chester has won three of the last four matchups against the Golden Bears, as Kutztown's last win at Keystone Arena was on Jan. 11, 2012. The teams share a common opponent in Mansfield. West Chester defeated the Mountaineers 103-92 on Nov. 23.
 
West Chester ranks third in the PSAC by averaging 85.1 points per game. This includes a pair of 100-point games that ended in regulation. The Golden Rams won 109-97 against Bowie State at home and won 103-92 at Mansfield. In particular, these two shootouts moved West Chester 17th in scoring defense. KU ranks 16th in scoring defense.
 
Senior guard Troy Hockaday missed the start of the season, but he's been nearly unstoppable since his return. In his four games, Hockaday averages 23.5 points per game, which would lead the PSAC if he qualified. His scoring burst comes from his stellar shooting. Hockaday shoots 58.3 percent from the floor, including 54.5 percent from three. 
 
The Golden Bears will take the next week off for finals before returning to the court with a pair of PSAC Crossover games on back-to-back nights. They travel to Clarion on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Both tipoffs are set for 7:30 p.m.