Box Score



Kutztown 62, Shippensburg 58 (HTML Box Score) | Photo Gallery
 
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team led for less than three minutes of the game, but it held the advantage when it mattered the most in a 62-58 road victory at Shippensburg University on Wednesday evening in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game at Heiges Field House.
 
The Golden Bears (5-12, 3-4 PSAC East) battled within a possession for most of the game against the Red Raiders (2-15, 0-7). They did not rely on any one individual down the stretch; instead they ran effective sets offensively, did not turn the ball over, and forced the Red Raiders into difficult looks at the basket.
 
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) and Rell Sherman (Philadelphia, Pa./Olney West (Manor Junior College)) led the team with 13 points apiece, and played two significant roles in the road win for Kutztown. Connolly drained a game-high three three-pointers, including the go-ahead three with 1:06 to play to give KU a 59-58 lead it would never relinquish.
 
Sherman may ultimately have been the difference maker as he scored 11 of his season-high 13 points in the second half; all in just 12 minutes on the court. He shot 6-for-10 from the field including a three-pointer.
 
Notably, nine different Golden Bears scored.
 
Kutztown's defense put Shippensburg in poor situations all night. The 58 allowed points for Kutztown are a season-best in a victory, and Shippensburg's 33.3 percent from the field was the second-best mark of the season for the KU defense. With its tough defense, Kutztown was able to overcome a rough first half, in which it suffered from foul trouble and 6-of-30 shooting. It rebounded by shooting 53.1 percent in the second half and scoring 44 points, tied for the second-most in a half this season.
 
Following a Shippensburg jumper with 1:20 left to give it a 58-56 lead, Kutztown did not allow another point for the remainder of the game. It forced Shippensburg to miss its final three shots, as free throws by Sherman and Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) sealed Kutztown's fourth road victory of the season, doubling its mark from last season.
 
Kutztown was smart with the ball offensively as it turned the ball over 11 times compared to Shippensburg's 23. The extra possessions for Kutztown, along with a double-digit advantage on the offensive glass allowed Shippensburg to hold a commanding 53-32 rebounding advantage, the most for a KU opponent this season.
 
Tracy Peal and Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown), Kutztown's top two scorers, were held under their season averages due to some early foul trouble. Peal scored 10 points with four rebounds, and Johnson finished with eight in just 15 minutes of action.
 
For Shippensburg Tony Ellis notched his first career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive end. Joe Lococo finished with 18 points and shot 5-of-14 from the field including 1-for-7 from three-point range. As a team, Shippensburg shot 2-for-14 from beyond the arc.
 
The Golden Bears return home for the first time in three games on Saturday, Jan. 25 to take on Bloomsburg University (10-6, 6-1) at Keystone Arena beginning at 3 p.m. The teams split last year's matchups, with each team winning on its home floor.