KUTZTOWN, Pa. – In its final non-conference contest of the 2017-18 campaign, Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining in overtime to propel the Kutztown University women's basketball team over the Georgian Court University Lions, 88-84.
 
A tightly-contested affair throughout, Georgian Court made two triples in the final 12 seconds to send the game to an extra period, tied at 74-all. KU led 82-77 following a Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) layup with 2:19 left in the extra session, but the Lions tied it up at 84-84 with 29 seconds to go, setting the stage for Lapkiewicz' heroics. Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) raced down the length of the court and found Lapkiewicz for a three-pointer from the elbow, staking Kutztown to a three-point margin they would see to the finish line.
 
The Maroon and Gold had six scorers in double-digits, paced by Lapkiewicz' team-high 18 points. Wright and Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) totaled 14 points and Thames, Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) and Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) chipped in 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the Golden Bears in double-figures. Ferguson added a team-high eight rebounds and five steals, leading the defensive effort which forced a season-high 36 turnovers. Thames facilitated the offensive effort with a team-high six assists, three of which came in the extra session.
 
Both sides struggled to gain the upper hand throughout this tilt, as GCU took a 40-39 advantage into the halftime break. Neither team led by more than five points through the entirety of the game, which featured 22 lead changes and 14 tie-scores. KU outscored the Lions in points in the paint (44-40), points off turnovers (42-16), second chance points (13-5) and fast break points (17-8), asserting itself in the transition game.
 
Despite the statistical gap, Georgian Court kept the game within striking distance with its excellent shooting, going 33-of-52 from the field, 6-of-16 from deep and 12-of-18 from the charity stripe. In stark contrast, the Golden Bears' shooting struggles continued, shooting just 41.9 percent from the field, 24 percent from distance and 52.6 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The win for the Maroon and Gold improves its record to 7-4 headed into the holiday break and completes an undefeated run at home in non-conference play, boasting wins against Chestnut Hill, PSU Lehigh Valley, Jefferson and Georgian Court.
 
Kutztown will have two weeks off from competition before getting into the meat of its PSAC schedule, next facing off with West Chester on Dec. 30 on the road, the first of 11 PSAC games in a one-month span.