Press Conference | Updated Bracket | Photo Gallery WHEELING, W. Va. - The Kutztown University men's basketball team took down Mercyhurst University on Sunday night, 79-73, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Wheeling Jesuit University.
The Golden Bears advance to the Atlantic Regional final and NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009 where they will face West Liberty, one of the top teams in the nation.
Kutztown (23-6, 18-4 PSAC) led for most of the first half in what turned out to be a low-scoring 20 minutes for both squads. KU led Mercyhurst at the half by a score of 36-31.
Mercyhurst (22-9, 15-7) took the lead at 42-41 at the 15:07 mark in the second half, but KU would take it right back on a layup by senior
Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) at the 14:36 mark. The Lakers hung around for the entirety of the game, but were unable to regain the lead the rest of the way.
The Golden Bears got two huge 3-pointers from redshirt-junior
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) late in the second half that proved to be crucial in keeping the Lakers at bay.
Connolly's second 3-pointer of the half gave KU a 64-57 lead with 4:25 to play in the game. Mercyhurst struck back with a 5-0 run in the next minute of action to cut the lead down to 64-62 with 3:32 to play.
Sophomore guard
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) converted on a layup off an inbounds pass at the 1:24 mark in the second half to push KU's lead to seven at 70-63. Mercyhurst made it interesting in the last minute, but clutch free-throws from Connolly and
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) sealed the game for the Golden Bears.
Ridgeway led KU in scoring for the second consecutive game with a team-high 17 points. He was 8-of-8 from the line and also had a team-high five assists.
Connolly, Lee and Selby were KU's other double-digit scorers in the victory. Connolly recorded 13 points (5-6 FT) and four assists. Lee also added 13 points (5-5 FT) to go with four rebounds and two steals. Selby posted 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-4 FT) and three rebounds.
Junior
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) was in foul trouble for the majority of the first half, but was able to finish the game with five points, a team-high six rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
Will Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep (McMurry)),
Martin Dietrich (Maytown, Pa./Donegal) and
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) all provided valuable contributions off the bench for KU. Adams had eight points, while Cuevas chipped in with six. Dietrich had two points and three rebounds.
Damon Jones led the Lakers with 21 points (8-10 FG). Kayode Ajenifuja recorded 15 points and six rebounds, while Jean Onana provided 13 points.
Kutztown was able to record the victory despite shooting 41 percent from the field and 29 percent from behind the arc. Mercyhurst turned the ball over 13 times and only blocked one shot in the contest.
The Golden Bears will have their hands full on Tuesday night as West Liberty will be appearing in its seventh consecutive Atlantic Regional final. The Hilltoppers have won the Atlantic Regional title in four of the last five seasons.
Kutztown and West Liberty will take the court in the Atlantic Regional final on Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. at Wheeling Jesuit University inside the McDonough Center. The winner of the Sweet 16 matchup will head to the NCAA Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas. KU is looking for its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance in school history.
