Box Score Kutztown 87, Shippensburg 80 (HTML Box Score)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team never trailed Shippensburg University and led by as many as 24 points in an 87-80 victory in its home finale at Keystone Arena on Saturday and clinched a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
The Golden Bears (9-16, 7-8 PSAC East) are locked into the sixth seed for the playoffs. Following their season-finale at Bloomsburg University on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Kutztown will travel back to Bloomsburg on Saturday, March 1 to play the third-seeded Huskies in a first round game from Nelson Fieldhouse beginning at 2 p.m. The winner will play second-seeded West Chester University on Tuesday, March 4.
Kutztown was playing under a 'win and in' mentality on Saturday, and it sure seemed like it out of the gate. It led 13-2 in the opening minutes and by 20 points at halftime. Notably, Shippensburg had just two scorers in the first half.
Despite a valiant effort from Shippensburg (2-23, 0-15) and cutting its deficit from 19 with 7:30 to play, to just six with 2:27 to play as part of a 18-5 run, Kutztown was able to suppress the elongated Red Raider run and pull out the victory on its home floor.
"We really wanted to pressure their guards and prevent them getting into any kind of flow," head coach
Bernie Driscoll said. "I thought we executed the game-plan well today. Looking forward, it's great that we were able to win our way into the playoffs, but we are still preparing and planning to win on Wednesday night."
Saturday also marked Senior Day for
Mike McCready (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom (King's College)). A two-year member of Kutztown men's basketball, McCready made his presence known as a team leader and loyal member of the program. Unfortunately, serious ankle and foot injuries forced his career to end this season.
Freshman
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) led the way with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 7-for-7 start. In 33 minutes he grabbed four rebounds, had three blocks, and three assists. In the last three games, Johnson is averaging more than 20 points per game.
Sophomore Tracy Peal scored 17 points despite not having the greatest of shooting nights (7-for-19). He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Elijah Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) returned to the starting lineup after missing a game due to injury and scored 13 points with five assists.
Fred Dukes IV (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove (Community College of Philadelphia)) started in place of an injured
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), and put together an all-around performance. Along with 10 points, Dukes IV dished out a season-high eight assists and grabbed four steals.
Antonio DePina (Bear, Del./Polytech) started in place on an injured
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area), and scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also grabbed a season-high-tying five rebounds. Fellow freshman
Brandon Bridy (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) scored 10 points off the bench in 16 minutes.
Shippensburg was led by Joe Lococo's 31 points on 10-for-19 shooting and four three-pointers. The guard also grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists. Mark Wilmer notched a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Abe Massaley scored all 19 of his points in the second half.
Kutztown cannot gain any playoff positioning on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Bloomsburg, but can certainly build momentum heading into Saturday's playoff rematch. Tipoff on Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m.
