MANSFIELD, Pa. – Trailing by 18 at halftime, and by 25 with 3:42 to play in the third quarter, the Kutztown University women's basketball team ended the game with the final 12 points to complete its largest comeback in 18+ years - a 69-68 victory in a crucial Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup on Saturday afternoon inside of Decker Gymnasium.
Those 12 straight points capped a 40-14 run over the final 13:42 of gameplay. KU (3-8 PSAC, 6-13) held Mansfield without a point for the final 3:05 and without a field goal for the final 6:30. The Maroon and Gold have now outscored their opponents by 14+ points in the second half in three consecutive game.
Trailing 29-54 after a Mansfield (1-10, 3-12) 3-pointer late in the third quarter, Kutztown closed the period with the final nine points, and a
Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) jumper just nine seconds into the fourth got the Golden Bears as close as 14 for the first time in the second half.
Minutes later at the 7:06 mark,
Sierra Taylor (Williamstown, N.J./Camden Catholic) made two free throws to cut the deficit to single digits, 49-58, for the first time since the first minute of the second quarter. The lead fluctuated between eight and 12 over the next four minutes though, as each time KU seemed to be building momentum to get within two possessions, Mansfield had an answer. Two Mountaineer free throws with 3:05 remaining extended a still comfortable lead to 68-57.
Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) began Kutztown's remarkable comeback 13 seconds later with a layup to cut the deficit back to single digits. The Maroon and Gold then forced the first of four turnovers over the next five Mansfield possessions, which led to a
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) 3-pointer. Moments later, Ferguson came up with a steal that led to a
Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) fastbreak basket, and all of the sudden the score was 68-64 with 2:10 to play.
After yet another Mansfield turnover, Ferguson hit two foul shots to make it a one possession game entering the final minute. Watson then came up with a huge block to give KU an opportunity to take its first lead of the afternoon, which it did when Taylor hit the eventual game-winning 3-pointer with 45 seconds showing in what turned out to be the only lead change of the contest.
Each team turned the ball over in the next 35 seconds to give Mansfield one final chance. The Mountaineers were able to get off two shots, but the Kutztown defense bared down to complete the improbable comeback, which moved the Golden Bears into sole possession of the final playoff berth in the PSAC East halfway through the league schedule.
Thames was the catalyst, scoring all of her career-high 16 points in the second half. She was 8-of-9 from the field and also had three steals and two assists.
Taylor and Altomare each scored 10 in the second half en route to final totals of 13 and 12 points, respectively. Taylor was 4-of-6 shooting and 4-of-5 from the line and had a team-high three assists, while Altomare extended her school record for consecutive games with a 3-ponter to 43.
Ferguson was also in double-figures with a season-high 10 points. She led KU with eight rebounds to fall two boards shy of her first career double-double.
Watson stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
After making just 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) in the first half, Kutztown shot 20-of-36 (55.6 percent) in the second half. The Maroon and Gold also drained 4-of-10 from beyond the arch - after going 0-5 in the first half – and made 5-of-6 at the line in the final 20 minutes.
Bella Ricci (19), Alyssa Mullins (17) and Brielle Kelly (16) combined to score 52 of Mansfield's 68 points. Mullins added a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Tianna Jackson contributed 9 points and led all players with six assists.
Winners of two-of-three, KU will look to carry the momentum from this result into Wednesday, Jan. 18 when it hosts Bloomsburg at 5:30 p.m.
