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CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team showcased smothering defense and lightning-fast transition play in a convincing 69-49 victory over California University (PA) on Wednesday night to extend the program's conference-leading winning streak to seven.
 
The Golden Bears (8-3, 5-1 PSAC) almost featured as much flash in their transition game as assistant coach Tom York did with his tie selection Wednesday night. KU tallied a season-high 24 assists and 13 steals to lead them to victory over the Vulcans (7-4, 3-3) in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover game at the Cal U Convocation Center. The KU defense posted season-bests by holding California (PA) to 49 points on 25.9 percent shooting.
 
Offensively, KU shot 52.5 percent from the field to mark the fourth time in the last five games the team has finished over the 50 percent mark. It continued to share the ball from start to finish, as it set the tone by recording assists on each of its first eight field goals, and finished the game with 23 assists on 31 total field goals (.742). Its 24/14 assist/turnover ratio was its best of the season.
 
Kutztown never trailed in its second PSAC crossover game in as many nights. The win extended Kutztown's season-long winning streak to seven, the program's longest streak since 2012 when it won 10 straight, and remains in first place in the PSAC East. It holds the longest active winning streak in the conference with Mercyhurst (7).
 
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) led the way for the Golden Bears. He scored 15 points on an effective 7-of-10 shooting, and has now shot 31-for-44 (.705) from the field in his last five games. He also led the team with nine rebounds.

For the season, Johnson is third in the PSAC at 60.6 percent shooting, and with three more points, he will be the fourth active Golden Bear with 500 career points (Fortune 988, Peal Jr. 825, Brooks 649).
 
Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) notched his third straight game with 10+ points. The senior scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting while making both of his three-point attempts, but that was just the beginning of his stat sheet. He had seven rebounds, five assists, and a game-high four blocks and three steals. It is Brooks' second consecutive game with four blocks as he now leads the PSAC at 2.1 blocks per game.
 
As a team, KU had seven blocks as it leads the PSAC at five per game.
 
Tracy Peal Jr. (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) put together his best game of the season. In 26 minutes off the bench, he scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds. He also notched four assists to one turnover, with two blocks and two steals.
 
Tynell Fortune (Blakeslee, Pa./Pocono Mountain West (California (PA))) had this date circled on his calendar for some time, as he returned to the Convocation Center for the first time after transferring to KU after a three-year career at California (PA). He opened the game with a three-pointer and finished with seven points, but hung his hat on his game-high six assists. It is his second straight game with six assists, and his third time in the last four games.
 
Fortune has 988 points in his career and is 12 away from 1,000.
 
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) finished with seven points, and Howard Sellars (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area (Saint Peter's)) grabbed five rebounds from his guard position.
 
KU looked impressive in transition to start the game, opening on a 19-6 run with eight assists on 8-of-10 shooting. The defense also clamped down to put the Vulcans in an early 1-for-10 shooting hole.
 
Late in the first half, California (PA) locked down on defense and held KU without a field goal for nearly eight minutes as the Vulcans used a 9-0 run to soar back to six-point, 28-22 deficit with 2:06 to play in the half.
 
Fred Dukes IV (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove (Community College of Philadelphia)) and Martin Dietrich (Maytown, Pa./Donegal) checked in late in the half to help KU score the final four points to hold a 10-point lead at halftime, 32-22.
 
Notably, KU notched assists on 13 of its 14 first-half field goals.
 
Kutztown maintained its lead throughout the second half, and pulled away with its tight defense and strong transition play to post a 10-0 run and jump out to a 19-point lead (57-38) with 7:26 to play.
 
California (PA)'s two leading scorers finished with 12 points apiece, but combined for 5-for-18 shooting from the field. However, the pair of Khalil Jabbie and Richard Smith combined for 14-for-17 at the free throw line as Smith posted a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. Tony Richardson finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
 
The Golden Bears aim to run their winning streak to eight back at home on Saturday, Dec. 20 against Slippery Rock University. Tipoff at Keystone Arena is set for 3 p.m. as KU looks to avenge a six-point loss to The Rock on the road last season.