KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Despite the heroic efforts of junior Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) and her near triple-double performance, the Kutztown University women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking overtime thriller to Gannon, 85-76, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup inside Keystone Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
Kutztown (6-6, 4-5 PSAC) kept it close all afternoon against Gannon (10-3, 8-1) in a game that featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. KU used a 17-2 spurt from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the second to take a 32-21 lead over the Golden Knights with five minutes to go until half.
 
The Golden Bears headed into the half with a 38-32 lead over Gannon despite only shooting 41 percent from the field. Gannon outscored Kutztown 21-14 in the third period to take a one-point lead, 53-52, into the final quarter of play.
 
KU started out the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, but the Golden Knights quickly answered with a 9-0 run of their own that went until the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter, giving Gannon a 64-61 lead.
 
Watson scored the next six KU points on four free-throws and a layup to give the Golden Bears a 67-66 lead with two minutes to play. The closing two minutes featured made free-throws from both teams and the game was tied at 70-70 with 30 seconds to play. Kutztown had possession, but could not manage to get a shot off and it headed to overtime.
 
Unfortunately for Kutztown, Gannon came out hot in the overtime period, outscoring the Golden Bears 15-6 in the extra period. The overtime featured a 6-0 and 7-0 run by the Golden Knights that sealed the game.
 
Watson had a tremendous all-around performance for Kutztown, falling one assist shy of becoming just the second player in school history to record a triple-double. Advia Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) had the first and only triple-double against West Chester on Dec. 7, 2013.
 
Watson tied her career-high with 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds and a career-high nine assists in 42 minutes. She also had three steals and a block. Watson has scored in double-figures in 11 of KU's 12 games this season and recorded her second consecutive double-double.
 
Junior Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. She made two three-pointers, her 11th game this season with multiple threes. Altomare has hit at least one three in all 12 games to begin her junior campaign.
 
Natalya Lee (Feasterville, Pa./Rancocas Valley Regional) posted 12 points, four assists and three steals. She was honored in front of the home crowd before the game for recording her 1,000th career point a few weeks ago against Shippensburg.
 
Starters Gina Lewis (Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirit) and Kara Funk (Dover, Pa./Dover) both scored six points. Lewis also grabbed six rebounds, while Funk had three assists.
 
Off the bench, Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) had six points and six rebounds. Freshman Mariah Maciejewski (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore) recorded six points and three rebounds in just nine minutes of playing time.
 
Gannon held advantages in multiple statistical categories over Kutztown in the contest. The Golden Knights had 44 points in the paint to 34 for Kutztown. Gannon also had 18 second-chance points, while KU had 14. Gannon recorded 12 fast break points compared to just six for KU.
 
Jennie Thies was magnificent for Gannon, recording team-highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds in the win. Morgan Neighbors had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Brianna Brennan recorded 14 points and four blocks.
 
Kutztown heads out west for its next game, a PSAC battle with Clarion that starts at 5:30 p.m. inside Tippin Gym.