Live StatsKUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team gets set to take to the road against Mansfield University on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. in the second-to-last Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game of the season for the Golden Bears.
Kutztown (19-5, 16-4 PSAC) is tied for first place in the Eastern Division, and controls its own density for playoff seeding. A win on Saturday will guarantee the Golden Bears a first-round playoff bye along with securing at least one home playoff game.
With a win on Saturday, Kutztown and West Chester will be set to play for the PSAC Eastern title on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Keystone Arena.
KU has won the Eastern Division five times in program history. Mansfield (5-19, 3-16) currently sits seventh in the East and is eliminated from postseason play.
Kutztown enters the game with the second-highest scoring offense in the PSAC, averaging 85.8 points per game. The Golden Bears sit fourth in the PSAC in field goal percentage, hitting 48.1 percent of their shots from the field. Kutztown allows teams to shoot just 41 percent against it, third-best in the league. The Golden Bears also have one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the league at 1.17 (third).
Mansfield sits 12th in scoring, averaging 71.3 points per game.
The Golden Bears were victorious in their last meeting between the two teams, collecting a 103-75 win at Keystone Arena on Jan. 20.
Howard Sellars (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area (Saint Peter's)) led the way for Kutztown, netting a career-high 25 points on a school-record 7-of-7 shooting on 3-point attempts. It was the most 3-pointers made in a game without a miss in KU history and second-most makes in a single-game all-time.
Kutztown jumped out to a 56-26 lead at halftime and cruised to the 28-point victory. The Golden Bears got a balanced-scoring attack, with Sellars,
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington),
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland),
Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) and
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) all finishing with double-digit points.
Brad Williams (18 points) and Thomas Moore (15) led the offense for Mansfield in the defeat.
The Golden Bears enter the game winners of seven of their last eight, with their only blemish coming during an overtime loss to Bloomsburg on Feb. 10. They are outscoring their opponents by an average of more than 10 points per game during the stretch.
The Mountaineers are looking to end a three-game skid.
The Golden Bears are led on offense by Johnson, Lee and
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area). All three players average at least 12.4 points per game, with Johnson being the 15th-rated scorer in the PSAC at 14.7 points per game. Lee has shot more than 58 percent from the field and also chips in 4.8 rebounds per game. Connolly is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league, connecting on 45.5 percent of his attempts (second-best in PSAC).
Kutztown is led on defense by Selby, who leads the team with 31 blocks (sixth in PSAC). Johnson averages 8.8 rebounds per game (fifth in the PSAC). As a team, Kutztown has brought in the second-most rebounds per game in the PSAC (41.3).
Mansfield is led by Moore (15.9 points per game) and Matt Tamanosky (14.5). Moore excels from behind the arc (51 made 3-pointers, 10th-most in PSAC), while Tamanosky has been a force on the boards (6.9 rebounds per game). Moore also leads the Mountaineers with 5.2 assists per game.
