Box Score #6 East Stroudsburg 75, Kutztown 67 (HTML Box Score)
Photo Gallery
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team drew within four points on multiple occasions, and limited any lengthy runs in the second half by undefeated and sixth-ranked East Stroudsburg University, but a 12-3 run from ESU in the final minutes lifted it to a 75-67 win over Kutztown on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division showdown at Kohler Fieldhouse.
The Golden Bears (6-13, 4-5 PSAC East) were building momentum midway through the second half with strong defense and smart possessions offensively. Kutztown went on a 6-0 run capped with a layup with 7:00 left to trail the Warriors (20-0, 10-0) by four (59-55).
Following a steal, Kutztown was unable to cut the game to a single possession. It turned the ball over, missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and missed two jumpers in the lane. The defense could only hold off the quick tempo of ESU for so long, as ESU scored on four of its next five possessions to build its lead to 11 (69-58) with 2:17 to play. Kutztown fought to the finish and cut the deficit to seven after trailing by a game-high 13 with 1:33 to play, but it was simply too late to overcome the late deficit.
Sophomore Tracy Peal scored a game-high and career-high-tying 29 points. He did most of his damage from mid-range and driving to the lane, and shot an effective 11-for-18 from the floor. He also notched his third double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds. He shot 6-of-7 from the free throw line and made his lone three-point attempt, which came as the shot clock expired midway through the second half.
A glaring difference-maker was Kutztown's 25 turnovers compared to ESU's 11. Unlike other teams, Kutztown was fairly successful in breaking the full-court press, but it handed over numerous unforced turnovers in the half court and gave the Warriors the opportunity to defend their national ranking and longest active winning streak in Division II.
Kutztown shot 51 percent from the field compared to ESU's 44.1, but ESU had 10 more shot attempts and eight more trips to the free throw line.
Peal was one of four players to score in double figures for Kutztown, whose starting lineup accounted for all but two points.
Freshman
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four rebounds and a block in 32 minutes of action. Sophomore
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) finished with 11 points and a team-high three three-pointers, most of which came at crucial moments in the game.
Elijah Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) also finished with 11 points.
The Golden Bears shut down East Stroudsburg's returning All-American, Whis Grant. He scored just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 31 minutes. ESU used a 12-man rotation and had nine different players score. Rasheed Moore and Matt Tobin each scored a team-high 15 points, as Tobin increased on his conference-leading assists average with a game-high eight assists. Will Brown scored 14 points with three three-pointers.
Kutztown returns home to Keystone Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 5 to take on Mansfield University at 7:30 p.m. for KUSSI Fan Appreciation Night. KU won at Mansfield on Dec. 4, 85-74.
