Press Conference | Photo Gallery WHEELING, W. Va. - The Kutztown University men's basketball team fell to fifth-ranked West Liberty University in the NCAA Sweet 16 and Atlantic Regional final on Tuesday night, 85-64, inside a packed house at the McDonough Center on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University.
Kutztown (23-7) trailed from the start against the Hilltoppers and could not find a way to slow down the top-scoring offense in Division II. West Liberty controlled the pace of play the entire game and got into the paint at will for the duration of the contest.
West Liberty (30-3) went into the half with a 39-27 advantage over Kutztown. The Hilltoppers began the second half on a 24-12 spurt that would extend their lead to 63-39 with just under 12 minutes to play.
The Hilltoppers were in cruise control for the majority of the game and had their biggest lead of the game at 80-47 with 6:35 to play.
Kutztown did not give up as it ended the game on a 17-5 run, but fell by a final score of 85-64 in its last game of the season.
Junior forward
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) was one of Kutztown's bright spots in the setback. He had game-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds in his 10th double-double of the season. Johnson was one of five players selected to the Atlantic Regional All-Tournament team.
Redshirt-freshman
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) played a solid game for KU, posting 15 points (5-8 FG, 5-5 FT) and four rebounds. Sophomore
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) had eight points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists.
Seniors
Anthony Selby (Jersey City, N.J./Williamstown (Burlington County CC)) and
Will Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep (McMurry)) both played in their final games with the Golden Bears. Selby recorded eight points and five rebounds, while Adams posted two points in nine minutes of action.
Seger Bonifant and Devin Hoehn both had 18 points for West Liberty. Zac Grossenbacher posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, while David Dennis Jr. recorded a near triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Johnson goes into his senior season with career totals of 1,245 points (12th in KU history), 666 rebounds (sixth) and 94 blocks (seventh).
Ridgeway ended the season with 126 assists, the sixth-most in a season in KU history. He was one of the best sixth-men in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) this season and proved to be a valuable player for KU all season.
Selby posted averages of 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in his two years with KU. He had 65 blocks and was a 58 percent shooter from the field. The team captain was a defensive stopper for KU and will be a big loss for the Golden Bears going into the 2016-17 season.
Adams averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for KU in his senior campaign. He had two double-doubles and was a valuable contributor off the bench.
Kutztown won 20 or more games this season for the fourth time in school history and won its sixth ever PSAC East title. It played in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second time in school history and was a win away from its first Elite Eight appearance.
KU returns a majority of its players next season and will likely be one of the top teams in the PSAC.
Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team Seger Bonifant - West Liberty (Most Outstanding Player)
David Dennis Jr. - West Liberty
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) - Kutztown
Elijah Moore - Virginia State
Damon Jones - Mercyhurst
