PSAC Championship Central

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WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team took advantage of its third opportunity against West Chester University this season with a 90-79 overtime playoff victory on the road on Tuesday night to advance to the Final Four of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
 
Kutztown (19-11) advances to the PSAC Final Four for the first time since its championship game run in 2010. It will face Gannon University, the top seed in the Western Division, on Saturday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m. at Gannon's Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa.
 
The Golden Bears had to overcome some unexpected adversity from Mother Nature in their PSAC quarterfinal win Tuesday night against West Chester (16-13). The combination of a freezing rain storm and rush hour traffic extended Kutztown's normal drive to West Chester of one hour 15 minutes, to more than three hours in standstill traffic on the bus. Despite the 50-minute delay to the start of the game, Kutztown was determined not to let factors outside of its control effect the outcome of the game.
 
Kutztown had redemption on its mind against West Chester. It dropped both games in this year's regular season head-to-head series, including a four-overtime heartbreaker on its home floor. With a ticket to the Final Four on the line, the Golden Bears stepped up when they needed to most in their first road playoff win since 2010.
 
Senior Tynell Fortune waited a long time for his first collegiate playoff win last Saturday, and he was not ready to see his final season come to an end Tuesday night. To highlight a game-high 23-point night, Fortune knocked down the game-tying jumper with 20 seconds left in regulation. It tied the game for the 10th time, was followed by a low-quality last-second shot attempt by West Chester due to tremendous on-ball defense by KU's Anthony Selby, and sent the game to overtime.
 
Fellow senior Tyler Brooks gave KU the lead moments into overtime by snagging the loose ball off the opening tap and sprinting for a driving layup. Fortune followed in Brooks' footsteps and scored five straight points with two free throws and a three-pointer that brought the Kutztown faithful to its feet. It gave KU a six-point lead in overtime, its first multi-possession lead of the game.
 
"Tynell played a great game, KU head coach Bernie Driscoll said. "The one thing he did tonight that won't necessarily show up on the box score is the defense he played in overtime. The defense he played in the last three minutes of overtime was stellar. He knew his team needed him on both ends, and he was more than willing to put his body on the floor and sacrifice for what we needed to do."
 
Solid defense and sufficient free throw shooting down the stretch sealed Kutztown's overtime win. It shot 13-for-16 at the free throw line in overtime, seven by Howard Sellars and five by Fortune, and limited West Chester to 3-for-11 shooting from the field, including a layup at the buzzer, to lead by as many 13 points in overtime in its 11-point win.
 
Fortune posted his third straight 20-point game, his 10th of the season, and his 19th consecutive game scoring in double figures. He shot 10-for-14 at the free throw line, moving him into third in KU single-season history with 174 made free throws this season. He shot 6-for-13 from the field in 39 minutes.

"Mental toughness made the difference in overtime," Fortune said. "Our goal this season was to make a run in the playoffs, so we just had to execute the game plan.
 
"This is just a blessing," Fortune continued. "Last weekend vs. Shippensburg was my first career playoff win. I could have never seen this coming a year ago, even two years ago. I am just very thankful and blessed I am with a great team."
 
Things did not always look as bright for the Golden Bears. Two of their four leading scorers got in foul trouble early in the first half, and KU was looking for a spark offensively.
 
Enter Austin Beidelman.
 
The sophomore from Schnecksville took a leadership role on offense and knocked down big buckets to keep KU within striking distance and to an eventual four-point deficit at halftime. He ended the game with 18 points, tying his season-high, on 6-of-9 shooting with three three-pointers and four rebounds in 37 minutes.
 
"Austin's one of those quiet leaders who gets everyone in their right place on the floor," Driscoll said. "He played a big part in our second unit keeping us in the game in the first half."

"Maybe a little bit," Beidelman said on if he felt the need to be aggressive once KU got hit with foul trouble in the first half. "I just do whatever the team needs. Some nights I may not have many points but I'll have more assists; some nights I'll guard their best player, but tonight it was to take a leadership role offensively."
 
Sellars scored 13 of his 16 points at the free throw line. He shot 13-for-15 at the charity stripe for KU's most made free throws by a player this season.
 
Josh Johnson finished with eight points and six rebounds after dealing with foul trouble, lifting him over 800 career points and 400 rebounds as a sophomore.
 
The vocal leader of Kutztown in its postseason run has come from junior Anthony Selby. Always looking to motivate his teammates both on and off the floor, Selby was active around the glass Tuesday night with eight points and seven rebounds.
 
West Chester held the advantage underneath and went to the paint for more than half of its points. Senior Cory Blake closed his career with 19 points and nine rebounds in 39 minutes. Raheem Hall had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Thomas White rounded out West Chester's trio of double-digit scorers with 14 points in 17 minutes. Matt Wiseley grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and played all 45 minutes.
 
Kutztown and Gannon square off for the second time this season on Saturday. The game was tied at 45-45 in a back-and-forth battle with 11:45 to play on Jan. 7, but Gannon won 76-61 on its home floor.