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Video KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team will go for its 12th consecutive home win on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) battle with Mansfield University at Keystone Arena.
Kutztown (12-4, 9-3 PSAC East) has dropped its last two games after beginning the season with a 12-2 record. It lost to Philadelphia University, 89-82, in a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, Jan. 13, and dropped a PSAC matchup with East Stroudsburg, 86-75, on Saturday, Jan. 16.
Redshirt-freshman
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) was stellar in both losses, averaging 22.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He earned PSAC East Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight and third time this season. Lee had a season-high 28 points against East Stroudsburg and recorded 17 against Philadelphia.
Mansfield (3-14, 1-11) comes into the matchup on an eight-game losing skid. Its last win was a 68-65 victory over Clarion on Friday, Dec. 4.
KU defeated Mansfield in both of its matchups last season and has won 12 of the previous 16 against the Mountaineers.
The Golden Bears have had one of the most prolific offenses in the PSAC all season long. They rank second in the conference with 84.8 points per game and are third with a 12.3 scoring margin. KU is second with 42.1 rebounds per game and ranks third with 17 assists per game. Mansfield has been strong on the defensive end, ranking sixth in the PSAC with nearly 3.6 blocks per game.
Junior forward
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) leads KU with 14.0 points per game (18th in PSAC) and 8.7 rebounds per game (sixth in PSAC). He is shooting 53 percent from the field and is second on the team with 13 blocks. Johnson has six double-doubles this season and has scored in double-figures 12 times.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) is averaging 13.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He leads KU with 37 3-pointers (fifth in PSAC) and is shooting 87 percent from the free-throw line (fifth in PSAC). Connolly has scored in double-figures 11 times this season and has hit a 3-pointer in 14 of his 15 games played.
Lee has been phenomenal since being inserted into the starting lineup early in the season. He is third on KU with 12.8 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game. Lee has been one of the most efficient players in the PSAC, shooting 62 percent from the field, 51 percent from the three-point line and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Starters
Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) and
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) have both contributed in multiple statistical categories for Kutztown. Selby has been the defensive anchor for the Golden Bears, blocking a team-high 26 shots (third in PSAC) and recording 11 steals. Beidelman is fifth on the team with 8.3 points per game and is second with 57 assists.
Kutztown's bench has been crucial in several of its wins this season. Forwards
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and
Will Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep (McMurry)), along with guards
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) and
Martin Dietrich (Maytown, Pa./Donegal), have all provided important minutes for KU.
Cuevas has appeared in all 16 games, providing 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while Adams is averaging 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Ridgeway is averaging 9.1 points per game and leads the team with 64 assists (10th in PSAC). Dietrich is fourth on KU with 11 3-pointers and is shooting 48 percent from the field.
Mansfield is led by Thomas Moore, Matt Tamanosky and Brad Williams. Moore leads the team with 16.1 points per game and 72 assists (fifth in PSAC). Tamanosky is averaging 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Williams has contributed with 11.0 points per game.
Kutztown's current 11-game home win streak is its best since a 32-0 stretch that spanned over three seasons from 2008 to 2010. KU head coach
Bernie Driscoll is one victory shy of becoming the 11th coach in PSAC history to record 250 wins.
