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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Now that all of the conference crossover games have been completed, it's time for the Kutztown University men's basketball team to enter the second portion of its season; the one that matters the most. Kutztown will play Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division games for the remainder of the season in hopes of working its way up the standings and back into the playoffs.
 
The Golden Bears (3-10, 1-2 PSAC East) take on Cheyney University (2-12, 2-2) on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. at Keystone Arena. The teams share a common win the East against Mansfield, while the Wolves bring an extra conference win to Keystone Arena against Shippensburg. Kutztown already had its bye-week in the conference.
 
Neither team has fared well in the last month as both teams enter Saturday's matchup on six-game skids including some narrow, single-digit disappointments. Even though the overall record may have taken a dive, the teams' conference record is most important moving forward, and neither team can afford to leave anything on the court in Eastern Division games.
 
The Kutztown-Cheyney rivalry has grown into one of the great battles in the Eastern Division. Fans are always treated to great scoring and a physical battle. The Wolves took both games last season and including a 103-point outburst at Keystone Arena last February, the most points to be scored on the Golden Bears all season.
 
Both teams rate in the bottom three in scoring in the East. Kutztown averages 67.5 points per game, while Cheyney rates last in the conference at 61.93 per clip. Cheyney is also last in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 37.4 percent. Saturday's game could be decided on the glass, as Cheyney in last in the East at 33.4 rebounds per game. Notably, Kutztown has out-rebounded its opponents in four consecutive games after failing to do so in eight of the team's first nine games.
 
Kutztown aims to eclipse the 70-point mark for the first time in four games in 2014, and is coming off a season-low 48 Wednesday night at Slippery Rock. It was the first time in 11 years that Kutztown failed to post 50 or more points in a game. Despite the lackluster offensive performance, Kutztown erupted for a 16-point run in the second half against The Rock to take the lead with less than three minutes to play. It was unable to score in the final minutes though as it dropped a 54-48 decision.
 
Sophomore Tracy Peal is off to a career-best start to the season. He averages a team-leading 15.5 points per game and has scored in double figures in each of the last three games. He is shooting 47.6 percent from the field and grabs 5.5 rebounds per game.
 
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) has been quiet the last two games as he worked off a minor injury. He scored in double figures in each of his first nine games, the first KU freshman to do that since 1985, but has posted 10 or more points in just one of Kutztown's last four games. For the season, Johnson still averages a healthy 11.3 points and seven rebounds along with a team-leading 19 blocks. He is eighth in the PSAC in blocks and 13th in rebounding.
 
Sophomore three-point specialist Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) has also battled with injury problems the last couple of games, but seems to have fully recovered after starting and playing in 29 minutes on Wednesday night. He averages 9.5 points per game and leads the team with 20 three-pointers. He is a 33.3 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Connolly's ability to dial in from downtown will play a significant role for Kutztown moving forward, as the Golden Bears have only made one three-pointer in each of the last three games.
 
Cheyney's Deshawn Curtis leads the PSAC in scoring at 21.3 per game. He is also third in rebounding at 8.7 per game. The senior held a streak of six straight games scoring 20 or more points earlier this season, but has scored under his average in two of the last three games. He scored 19 points with three three-pointers in Cheyney's most recent loss to Gannon on Wednesday night, 68-41.
 
Following its game against Cheyney, Kutztown travels to Millersville University on Wednesday, Jan. 15 for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The Golden Bears took the Marauders to double overtime last season in a loss at Pucillo Gymnasium, where Kutztown has not won at since the 2010-11 season.