Live Stats KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Kutztown University women's basketball team looks to start a new winning-streak this weekend as it hosts two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover games at Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears face the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:00 p.m.
Kutztown (4-2, 2-2 PSAC) heads into this weekend coming off a 68-54 loss at Millersville on Tuesday. Junior
Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) played all 40 minutes and contributed a team-high 15 points and six rebounds as well as a career-high four blocks in the defeat.
KU currently is tied for third with West Chester in the PSAC East standings at 2-2, a game back of first place. Shippensburg sits atop the standings at 3-1, while Bloomsburg is 2-1. Pitt-Johnstown and Indiana (Pa.) are both tied for sixth in the PSAC West standings at 2-2. California (Pa.) leads the PSAC West with a 4-0 record.
The Golden Bears suffered losses to both Pitt-Johnstown and Indiana (Pa.) in their most recent meetings. KU dropped a tough 72-70 decision to Pitt-Johnstown on Dec. 18, 2013 and suffered a 76-62 defeat to Indiana (Pa.) on Dec. 21, 2013.
As a team, Kutztown is third in the PSAC in scoring offense at 72.8 points per game and scoring margin at 14.0. KU also ranks fourth in scoring defense, allowing 61.3 points per game, and is second in the conference in defensive field goal percentage at 36.4.
KU ranks third in the PSAC in rebounding with 41.7 per game and in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.13. It also leads the conference in turnover margin at 5.17 and in blocks per game with 5.67.
Watson has performed admirably for the Golden Bears through the first six games of the season. She leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game (fifth in PSAC), in rebounding with 7.0 per game (13th in PSAC) and in blocks with 13 (fourth in PSAC). Watson is also tied for the team-lead with 11 steals and is shooting a career-best 55 percent from the field (sixth in PSAC).
Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) is second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game (17th in PSAC) and leads KU with 4.0 assists per game (12th in PSAC). She also ranks third on the team with 10 steals and is shooting 81 percent from the line. Lee has 944 career points at Kutztown, 56 shy of becoming the 15th player in school history to score 1,000.
Junior guard
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) has excelled in her first year as a starter for Kutztown. She is third on the team with 13.8 points per game and is tied for the team-lead with 11 steals. Altomare has made her presence felt the most on the three-point line, knocking down 18-of-45 (40 percent) in her six games. She leads the PSAC with 3.0 threes per game and is fifth in three-point percentage.
Gina Lewis (Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirit) has started in three games thus far. She is fourth on the team with 6.8 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.3 per game. Lewis is also tied for second on the team with five blocks.
Freshman
Mariah Maciejewski (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore) has performed well off the bench, averaging 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11 minutes per game. She earned PSAC East Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 30 for her impressive performances against Chestnut Hill and Penn State Lehigh Valley.
Kara Funk (Dover, Pa./Dover) is averaging 4.5 points per game to go along with 20 assists, second on the team. Sophomore
Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) has contributed with 4.2 rebounds per game and five steals. Freshmen guards
Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) and
Allison Girardi (Somerset, N.J./Immaculata) each have 14 assists and six steals.
Pitt-Johnstown (4-3, 2-2) heads into the matchup with wins in three of its last four games. Jasmine Harper leads the Mountain Cats in scoring at 14.5 points per game and is second on the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. Olivia McCabe is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds.
Indiana (Pa.) (5-3, 2-2) has won two of its previous three games. Leslie Stapleton leads the Crimson Hawks in scoring with 16.6 points per game, including 23 three-pointers. Zhane Brooks is second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game and is tied for the team-lead with 6.0 rebounds a game.
