WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team stepped up to the challenge Wednesday night at 17th-ranked West Chester University. It defended the arc against the best 3-point shooting team in the East, dove on every loose ball and climbed to within a half-game of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division with its 84-75 win at Hollinger Field House.

The win marked Kutztown's first over a nationally-ranked team in more than five years, dating back to a 67-60 road win at then-23rd-ranked Philadelphia University on Nov. 13, 2010 in the season-opener.
 
The Golden Bears (14-4, 11-3 PSAC) held the Golden Rams (16-3, 12-3) below their averages in 3-pointers, points and rebounds. KU didn't let a rowdy home crowd affect its composure and shot 47.5 percent from the field while holding West Chester to 40.0.
 
Kutztown led by five at halftime, 43-38, and didn't relinquish the lead the entire second half. It used effective free-throw shooting to build a game-high 13-point lead with less than 3:00 to play to propel KU into a tie for second place in the PSAC East with East Stroudsburg. West Chester remains atop the PSAC East by playing and winning one more game than KU and ESU.
 
KU didn't miss a free throw for the first 36:12 of the contest, made its first 12 attempts and finished the game 21-of-24, its best performance of the season at 87.5 percent.
 
Freshman Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) has posted his best games of the year against Kutztown's best competition. On Jan. 16 at East Stroudsburg, he scored a season-high 28 points. Against West Chester on Wednesday, Lee stepped up with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. He grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists.
 
Senior captain Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) was arguably the MVP Wednesday with his work on the defensive end. His assignment was center Matt Wiseley, who entered Wednesday averaging a double-double and was coming off a 24-rebound outing last week. Selby limited Wiseley to five shot attempts and eight rebounds to finish with 12 points.
 
To top it off, as the shot clock wound down midway through the second half, Selby picked up a loose ball and fired a corner 3-pointer, just his second attempt in the last two years, and cashed it in to give KU a 10-point lead with 7:00 to play and bring the KU bench to its feet.
 
Fellow captain Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) came through with a season-high 15 points that included making 5-of-6 free throws. He and Lee co-led the team three assists.
 
KU's third captain, Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown), along with fellow junior Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area), added 14 points each. Johnson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and made all three free throws, while Connolly knocked down a pair of 3-pointers for the third time in the last four games.
 
Lee and West Chester's Malik Jackson have proven to be two of the PSAC's top freshmen this year, as both players have earned three Freshman of the Week honors. Jackson scored 13 points in 28 minutes with two 3-pointers before fouling out late.
 
Thomas White was effective in his time off the bench. The 6'8" forward made 5-of-6 shots and scored 11 points in 18 minutes with five rebounds.
 
Kutztown completed the first half of the Eastern Division schedule with a 14-4 overall record and 11-3 in the PSAC, and returns home on Saturday, Jan. 30 to start a three-game home-stand. The trio of games at Keystone Arena begins with Millersville University at 3 p.m. on Saturday. KU took down the Marauders 69-60 on the road on Dec. 1.