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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team travels to face Shippensburg University on Saturday, March 1 in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Tournament. Tipoff from Heiges Field House is set for 1 p.m.
 
The Golden Bears (9-17) will play for a postseason win for the second consecutive year, as they defeated West Chester in the PSAC First Round last year. As for this year, the Golden Bears lost both of their regular season meetings to the Red Raiders (17-9) by 29 points. Kutztown lost the first meeting at Heiges Field House, 86-57, and the second meeting at Keystone Arena, 81-52. Nicole Donahue (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) (16 and 14 pts) led the team in scoring in each game.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Golden Bears lost at Bloomsburg in their regular season finale, 88-68. KU played well in the first half, trailing by only two points at the break. However, the Huskies ran away with the game by forcing 15 turnovers in the second half and limiting the Golden Bears to just eight field goals in the stanza. Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) led Kutztown with 14 points, including a career-best 10 free throws made, and eight rebounds. Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) added 13 points.
 
PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: This women's basketball tournament features the top six teams in each of the two divisions, with the top two teams on each side earning a first-round bye. The first round features the three seeds hosting the six seeds from the same division (KU at Shippensburg in the East and Seton Hill at California, Pa. in the West) and the four seeds hosting the five seeds (East Stroudsburg at Millersville in the East and Pitt-Johnstown at Indiana, Pa. in the West).
 
APPROACHING 300: With the Feb. 15 win against Millersville, head coach Janet Malouf earned her 299th win at Kutztown. In her 20th season, she stands one win away from a career milestone that 39 active Division II head coaches reached in women's basketball. Furthermore, only four coaches in PSAC history earned 300 wins while coaching at an institution in the conference. A three-time PSAC East Coach of the Year, Malouf coached KU to three 20-plus win seasons.
 
STATISTICAL ADVIA-TION: With 12 points, junior forward Advia Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) in double figures for the seventh consecutive game. She averages 10.8 points per game. However, she gets the job done in other ways, too. She set a single-season record for blocks, with 70, surpassing Becky Savage's 68 in the 2002-03 season. Earlier this year, she earned the program's first ever triple-double, including a school-record 10 blocks. Campbell also had 71 steals this season. She ranks second in the PSAC in blocks per game and third in steals per game.
 
MRS. RELIABLE: Through her three years at KU, junior guard/forward Alyssa Bonenberger (Walnutport, PA/Northampton Area) started 78 consecutive games and counting. With that, she's become one of the main focal points on offense. Her 9.8 points per game ranks third on the team, while her 7.4 rebounds per game ranks second on the team. Her five double-doubles co-leads the team with Advia Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape). Bonenberger shoots 39.1 percent from the field this season.
 
BOARDED UP: The Golden Bears briefly began the year with rebounding success, but have since then struggled. Kutztown began the season with 144 rebounds in its first three games, earning a positive rebound margin in each game. In the 22 games since then, the Golden Bears won only three more rebounding battles while tying two others. The team's average -4.5 rebounding margin (36.2 to 40.7 per game) ranks 17th in the PSAC, ahead of only Cheyney (-6.3).
 
Looking in the Other Corner: the Shippensburg Red Raiders
 
DYNAMIC DUO: Sporting arguably the best 1-2 punch in the PSAC East, the Red Raiders are getting more than 16 points per game apiece from senior guard Sarah Strybuc (18.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Stephanie Knauer (16.3 ppg). Knauer's 62.1 percent shooting from the field tops the PSAC, while Strybuc's 375 field goal attempts rank second in the conference.
 
GOLD STANDARD: Freshman guard Lauren Gold is making an immediate impact for the Red Raiders. She ranks third on the team with 12.8 points per game. More importantly, she distributes the ball very well; she ranks third in the conference with 4.6 assists per game and a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Both figures lead all PSAC East qualifying players.
 
HEY THERE, COACH: Red Raiders head coach Kristy Trn is in her 15th season as head coach at the university. A three-time PSAC East Coach of the Year, Trn owns a 258-166 record with Shippensburg. Including her time as an assistant coach, Trn helped to lead the Red Raiders to three appearances in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight (1996, 1998, 2001).