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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Two of the best men's basketball teams in Division II were on display at Keystone Arena Friday night. 13th-ranked Kutztown University and 18th-ranked Shippensburg University were in a one-point game midway through the first half, but a lengthy Shippensburg run to end the half catapulted it to a 97-82 decision over the Golden Bears in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action.
Both of Kutztown's (8-2, 4-2 PSAC) setbacks this year have come to nationally-ranked teams, while Shippensburg (10-0, 6-0 PSAC) remains undefeated atop the PSAC East.
Kutztown led 19-18 with 11:48 left in the first half, but when put in foul trouble shortly thereafter, the Raiders took advantage. Shippensburg ended the first half on a 33-17 run over the final 11:48 to lead 51-36 at the break. The run was built on second-chance points and success at the free throw line.
Notably, of the 16-point Raider run, a +13 advantage came with KU senior captain
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) on the bench with foul trouble. Shippensburg shot 6-for-11 from downtown in the first half, but was led inside by its freshman forward. John Castello, who entered averaging 10.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, notched a double-double in the first half alone with 14 and 11. He finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
The teams played to an even 46 apiece in the second half, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome against another fellow top-team in Division II. A significant difference in Friday's night's matchup was Shippensburg's 11-for-19 shooting performance from 3-point range (57.9 percent) and 28-for-31 from the free throw line (90.3 percent).
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) scored a season-high 22 points on an impressive 9-for-12 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) matched Lee's scoring total with 22 of his own, 15 coming in the second half. He made 9-of-13 free throws and added seven assists. Both Lee and Ridgeway played 37-of-40 minutes.
Fellow point guard
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) recorded his 300th career assist Friday night – the seventh player in program history in the 300-assist club. He added 10 points and a season-high six rebounds.
Defensively, Kutztown forced 25 Shippensburg turnovers while only committing 11 of its own. Shippensburg's 43-27 advantage on the glass helped build its lead.
Shippensburg's frontcourt of Castello and Dustin Sleva combined for 51 points and 27 rebounds – matching Kutztown's team rebounding total. Sleva had a career-high 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists, extending his streak of posting at least 15 points and nine rebounds in every game this season. He shot 15-of-17 at the free throw line.
Friday snapped Kutztown's 20-game regular season winning streak at home – KU's first loss at home since a four-overtime loss to West Chester on Jan. 31, 2015. Kutztown is 18-2 in the last two years at Keystone Arena, with both losses coming to Shippensburg.
Kutztown moves to 2017 with its final PSAC crossover game of the season. KU hosts Clarion University on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
