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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – With its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover schedule behind it, the Kutztown University women's basketball team turns its attention to Division play when it travels to Lock Haven for a 5:30 p.m. tip on Friday, Jan. 6.
Despite its best shooting performance since the 2012-13 season, career efforts from
Alex Heck (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Philadelphia U.)),
Sierra Taylor (Williamstown, N.J./Camden Catholic) and
Kara Funk (Dover, Pa./Dover), and overcoming a 12-point second half deficit to take a lead in the final minutes, KU (1-5 PSAC, 4-11) fell just short as it failed to get off a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds of a 77-79 loss to Clarion on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Kutztown's 54.5 field goal percentage (30-55) in the defeat was its highest shooting percentage since making 55.4 percent (31-56) from the field in a win over West Chester on Mar. 2, 2013. It was the Golden Bears' highest field goal percentage in a loss since making 55.1 percent (27-49) at Edinboro on Dec. 20, 2006.
Heck poured in a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 6-of 7 free throws. She became the first Golden Bear to score 30 since Ashley Wood did so on Nov. 11, 2011. The graduate student is averaging 25.3 points in her previous three games to move into seventh in the PSAC at 16.1 points per game. She is also seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.449) and free throw percentage (.836), and 10th in rebounds per game (7.9) and minutes per game (32.6).
Taylor dished out a career-high eight assists for the second time in three games. She is averaging 7.3 assists in those three contests and has dished out 6+ dimes in four of her previous five games to raise her average for the year to 4.1 per game, good for sixth in the PSAC. She is also eighth in the conference with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio and ninth with a .818 free throw percentage.
Funk also set a new career-high in assists in the setback, registering seven to move into 22nd in the PSAC at 2.7 per game.
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) contributed 12 points in the defeat, extending her program record streak of making at least one 3-pointer to 39 games in the process. She leads the PSAC with an average of 2.9 3-pointers per game and is sixth with a .365 3-point percentage. The senior has 12+ points in each of the last five games after failing to score more than eight in the previous three contests prior the stretch.
Despite scoring a season-low two points against Clarion,
Kelsey Watson (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) is moving her way up KU record book in multiple statistical categories. She is one block and four rebounds, respectively, shy of moving into eighth place in the program annals, as well as 14 points away from taking over ninth place on the career scoring list. The senior ranks ninth in the PSAC in rebounds per game (8.0) and is also in the top-20 in points per game (12.7) and blocks per game (0.8).
Lock Haven (2-5, 5-6) is also coming off a PSAC loss as it fell to East Stroudsburg, 59-76, on Tuesday night. Despite losing their last two, the Bald Eagles have gone 4-3 since starting the season 0-3. At 2-5 in the league, LHU is in a tie for fourth place in the PSAC East, one game ahead of Kutztown, who is tied for sixth.
Lock Haven is the top rebounding team in the PSAC, leading the conference with an average of 44.8 boards per game as well as a +7.7 rebounding margin.
The two teams split last year's season series, with each road team winning by 13 points on the opposing team's court.
Following Friday night's contest, KU takes the weekend off before returning home on Monday night to host Cheyney at 5:30 p.m. inside of Keystone Arena.
