Live Stats | Video KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team will face East Stroudsburg University on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m. in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup with playoff implications on the line.
The Golden Bears (17-5, 14-4 PSAC East) will go for their 16th consecutive home win dating back to last season and look to improve their home record this season to 13-0. East Stroudsburg (17-5, 13-5) has a strong 8-2 road record and will look to defeat KU for the 10th straight time.
Kutztown is tied for first-place in the PSAC East with West Chester at 14-4. East Stroudsburg sits in third and is only a game back at 13-5.
East Stroudsburg leads the PSAC in scoring offense at 89.8 points per game, while KU is second at 85.4. These two teams also have the top scoring margins in the PSAC. The Warriors are first at 18.2 and KU is second at 12.2. The Warriors lead the PSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.31, while KU sits in third at 1.15.
KU fell to East Stroudsburg in its first matchup of the season, 86-75, on the road on Jan. 16. Redshirt-freshman
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) scored a career-high 28 points (8-15 FG, 10-12 FT) in the loss.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) chipped in with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and senior forward
Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) contributed with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Warriors had a balanced attack on the offensive end against Kutztown. They had six players in double-figures, including three off the bench. Quindell Brice led the team with 13 points. Rasheed Moore and West Cherry each contributed with 11 points and eight rebounds. Jamal Nwaniemeka posted 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Kutztown has won five of its last six games, but dropped its most recent game on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Bloomsburg by a final score of 81-77 in overtime. Junior
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) had team-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds in the setback. Junior guard
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) posted 13 points and seven rebounds, while Selby had 13 points and six rebounds.
East Stroudsburg has won its last two games, averaging 96 points per contest. It defeated West Chester in its last game on Wednesday, 88-83. Moore had a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Steve Harris had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Nick Giordano added 13 points off the bench.
Johnson is KU's top scorer and rebounder. He is averaging 14.9 points per game (12th in PSAC) and 8.9 rebounds a game (fourth in PSAC). Johnson has recorded nine double-doubles this season and scored in double-figures in 18 of his 22 appearances.
Lee has started in 17 games for Kutztown and is second on the team with 13.5 points per game. He is shooting 59 percent from the field, 47 percent from the three-point line and 88 percent from the free-throw line (second in PSAC). Lee has scored 10 or more points in 16 games, including each of the last 11.
Connolly is averaging 12.1 points per game and leads the team with 47 3-pointers (ninth in PSAC). He has hit a 3-pointer in 20 of his 21 games this season, including each of the last eight.
Sophomore guard
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) has been KU's most consistent player off the bench this season. He is averaging 8.3 points per game and is tied with Beidelman for the team-lead with 83 assists. Beidelman is fourth on the team with 9.0 points per game.
Selby leads the team with 31 blocks (fourth in PSAC) and is shooting 57 percent from the field. He is fourth on the team with 4.2 rebounds a game and has contributed with 14 steals.
East Stroudsburg's leading scorer is Moore at 13.1 points per game. He is also second on the team with 6.8 rebounds a game and is shooting 52 percent from the field. Will Brown is second on the team with 13.0 points per game and leads the Warriors with 55 3-pointers (third in PSAC). Harris is East Stroudsburg's top rebounder with 8.8 rebounds per game (fifth in PSAC).
