Video Highlights

CHEYNEY, Pa. – A 21-5 run to open the second half and nearly 60 percent shooting from the field led the Kutztown University men's basketball team to its third straight victory with a 76-61 win over Cheyney University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Cope Hall.
 
The Golden Bears (4-3, 2-1 PSAC East) had impressive performances up and down the lineup on Wednesday, led by four double-digit scorers. They shot a season-best 58.1 percent from the field, and as odd as it may seem, shot 19 less field goals than Cheyney in their 15-point win. KU shot 20-for-28 from the free throw line (71.4 percent) and has shot over 70 percent from the charity stripe in six of its seven games this year.
 
Moving the ball in transition played a significant role in Kutztown's victory on Wednesday, a strategy that head coach Bernie Driscoll and his staff have employed with its talent on this year's roster.
 
"It is never easy to win at Cheyney, and I thought we played really hard tonight," Driscoll said. "We did not execute in some areas in the first half that we had hoped to, but we made some adjustments at halftime that allowed us to open up the lead. Cheyney plays with four guards, so we wanted to use our height as an advantage, and I thought we did a good job of getting the ball down low.
 
"I thought tonight was Tyler (Brooks) and Josh's (Johnson) best game playing together of the season," Driscoll continued. "They were unselfish, and they looked for each other in transition. Tyler played aggressive and gave himself opportunities to score, and Josh just used his athleticism to give himself dunk, after dunk, after dunk. Tyler looked as comfortable today as he has in the last year-and-a-half."
 
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) made all eight of his field goal attempts on his way to 18 points against the Wolves. Starting from a game-opening alley-oop dunk, Johnson continued to attack the glass and move well in transition to put himself in position for easy buckets. He also finished with four rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
 
Senior Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) paired with Johnson in turning in their best games of the season. A fifth-year senior who fills up the stat sheet on a regular basis, Brooks grabbed eight of his game-high 10 rebounds in the first half to finish with his first double-double of the season. He shot 4-for-7 from the field with a three-pointer to finish with 10 points while playing aggressive on the offensive end. He also added four assists and four blocks to help KU on both ends of the floor.
 
"I thought we played very physical defense and were able to get them out of their sets early," Brooks said. "We did well in the fast break and we shared the ball, which helped our team chemistry."
 
Senior Tynell Fortune (Blakeslee, Pa./Pocono Mountain West (California (PA))) finished with a game-high 19 points off an impressive shooting night that included four three-pointers. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and finished with three rebounds and three assists in just 24 minutes after overcoming first half foul trouble.
 
Sophomore point guard Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) rounded out the quartet of double-digit scorers with 10 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds and five assists.
 
Off the bench, Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) has improved his game each time he has stepped on the floor this season. He handled the ball well and attacked the basket on his way to a season-high eight points, including a 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line.
 
For Cheyney, Jerrod Johnson finished with 13 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field. Kevin Larkin and Mike Drinks each scored 10 points as the Wolves were held to 40.3 percent shooting from the field and 4-for-14 from three-point range.
 
The Golden Bears have won three in a row for the first time since 2012 and aim for their fourth on Saturday, Dec. 6 on their home court. Millersville University makes its annual trip to Keystone Arena on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Marauders won both meetings last year.
 
"I've learned that we have a lot of heart," Brooks commented on what he knows about KU through seven games this season. "After starting the year off 0-2 in West Virginia, we bounced back and have been playing hungry. When we play as a team and we play hard together, we can play with anybody."