HTML Box Score MANSFIELD, Pa. –
Tyler Brooks proved why he is one of the best defensive players in the conference on Wednesday night. The redshirt senior blocked Mansfield's potential game-winning layup in the final seconds to preserve the Kutztown University men's basketball team's 70-67 road victory over Mansfield University at Decker Gymnasium.
Anthony Selby gave the Golden Bears (13-8, 10-5 PSAC) a one-point lead with a free throw with 43 seconds to play. Both teams missed their opportunities at the basket on their next possessions, giving the Mountaineers (7-12, 5-10) the ball with just under 13 seconds to play.
Thomas Moore, who scored 16 points in the first half and none in the second half, dribbled the length of the floor in the final seconds, drove into a trio of Golden Bears outside the paint, and had his layup attempt blocked by a sprinting Brooks across the lane (
VIDEO).
Ethan Ridgeway cashed in two free throws in the final second to cap the three-point win.
Josh Johnson led Kutztown with a career-high 26 points, 18 in the second half. He shot an effective 9-for-13 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. It marks his most free throws made in a game with a perfect percentage.
Wednesday marked the third time in the last five games that Johnson topped the 20-point mark. He did his damage in transition and in the paint, and used his length to grab six rebounds and three steals. As a sophomore, Johnson is on pace for a stellar career in the Maroon and Gold. He has 645 career points and 324 rebounds, and has started in 45 of his 48 games.
Brooks, the top shot-blocker in the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) at 2.0 per game, finished with a game-high nine rebounds and four assists. Ridgeway added a team-high five assists.
Tynell Fortune, the PSAC's seventh-leading scorer at 15.8 per game, finished with 12 points. He has 332 points this year and 1,155 in his career.
Kutztown shot 47.2 percent from the field, its fifth straight game over 47 percent.
Kutztown remains in second place in the PSAC East, two games ahead of West Chester, whom it faces on Saturday at Keystone Arena.
Mansfield (7-12, 5-10) had only three scorers in the first half, as the trio of Joe Bell, Charles Pemberton and Moore combined for 55 of the team's 67 points. Bell scored 24 points and became Mansfield's all-time leading scorer in the opening minutes, Moore finished with 16 points and a game-high eight assists, and Charles Pemberton had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Bell scored Mansfield's first five points of the game, making him the program's all-time leading scorer at more than 1,700 career points. MU went on to score nine points in the first 3:19, and just six in the next 12:04 as KU's defense dug down and forced Mansfield into tough looks.
During a 12-0 KU run late in the first half, KU held Mansfield to 0-for-8 from the field and led 23-15. Mansfield responded with a 14-2 run to lead 29-25 late in the first half, but a Fortune three-pointer and a late steal by
Fred Dukes IV, followed by a behind-the-back dribble and a breakaway layup gave KU a 30-29 lead at halftime.
Notably, three players scored for Mansfield in the first half led by Moore's 16 and Bell's nine.
Trailing by two midway through the second half, KU opened up its first double-digit lead of the game with a 15-2 run to take a 51-40 lead with 9:17 to play. KU shot 6-of-8 from the field during the run and forced five Mansfield turnovers.
Mansfield's top two players brought it back with nine quick points. Bell hit back-to-back threes and Pemberton converted an and-1 layup to bring Mansfield within one at 61-60 with 3:32 to play.
KU led by as many as five (67-62) with 2:01 to play, but five straight points by Pemberton tied the game with 1:11 to play, leading to Selby's free throw on the ensuing possession.
The Golden Bears return to Keystone Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31 to face West Chester University at 3 p.m. KU lost the first meeting this season at West Chester, 63-60.
