Box Score Seton Hill 68, Kutztown 56 (HTML Box Score)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team was unable to build on any of its first-half leads as the Seton Hill University Griffins produced two individual double-doubles and outshot the Golden Bears on its way to a 68-56 victory at Keystone Arena on Friday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover game.
Kutztown (5-6) was in the mix the entire first half, but could not construct any leads of more than two points. Seton Hill (7-5) went on an 8-0 run to close out the first half, riding the momentum into the second half and never looking back. The momentum swing started even earlier than that, as the 8-0 run was part of a larger 17-7 (4:45) run by the Griffins.
Going into the locker room down 36-28, Kutztown had better production from the field (37 percent), but the Griffins were locked in from three-point range (54.5 percent) and missed only one free throw (12-for-13) throughout the first half.
Kutztown began the second half with two immediate three's by
Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) and
Jess Harvey (Barnegat, N.J./Rumson Fair-Haven Regional), reducing the deficit to four points (38-34). However, with 14:28 left to play, SHU opened up its 47-40 lead with a two-man run, as Tiara Stossel and Paige Alviani combined for three triples as the Griffins went on a 13-4 spree. They would eventually build the lead to 19 points, ultimately closing out the victory.
After going 6-for-8 from the free-throw line in the first half, KU followed up with a 2-for-8 performance in the second, leaving them at 50 percent for the game. The Griffins continued to make big shots in the second, finishing 21-for-24 for the free throw line and 47 percent from beyond the arc.
Lee,
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area), and
Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) all finished with 11 points each, with Watson adding nine boards.
Advia Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) also grabbed nine boards and led the Maroon and Gold with seven steals, giving her 38 so far on the season.
Alyssa Bonenberger (Walnutport, PA/Northampton Area) found herself in foul trouble early, preventing any real chance to get into the flow of the game. The junior forward, who leads the team this season in both points and rebounds, was shut-out from the field (0-for-2) and went home empty-handed in the scoring column (0 points, 4 rebounds).
Stossel and Alviani were deadly from three-point range for the Griffins, finishing with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Stossel added 10 boards for the double-double. Katie Gattuso was dominant in the paint, going into halftime with nine points and nine rebounds, and finishing with 13 points and 16 boards on the game for the double-double.
Kutztown will continue its home PSAC crossover weekend tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 3 as the California (PA) Vulcans make the trip to Keystone Arena, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
