Live Stats | Golden Bear Network | Game Notes | Highlights

KUTZTOWN, Pa. –  The Kutztown University women's basketball team used a 20-13 third quarter and strong defensive play down the stretch to defeat the Mercyhurst University Lakers, 78-69, in its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener at Keystone Arena.
 
Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored a team-high 15 points for KU, going 3-of-7 from deep and making all four of her attempts at the free throw line. Clinging to a two-point advantage at the halftime break, this defensive struggle turned the way of the Maroon and Gold with a Kalee Fuegel (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) three, pulling ahead 48-42 at the 2:12 mark in the third quarter. Kutztown finished the period, adding another three points to its lead, via a Gabby Bloshuk (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) triple with five seconds remaining, making the score 55-46 headed to the final quarter.
 
Smith scored nine points in the final stanza, knocking down all four of her foul shots, helping her team to maintain at least a five-point lead for the duration of the game. Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards, seven of which came on the offensive end. Jenna Widdicombe (Pottstown, Pa./Pope John Paul II (West Chester)) spelled Ferguson well, scoring a season-high 12 of her own and getting two steals and two blocks in 17 minutes.
 
Smith also had a team-high six assists, showing her versatility on the offensive end. Freshman Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon), in her first action as a Golden Bear, tallied eight points in ten minutes, providing valuable ball-handling and shooting off the bench.
 
The Maroon and Gold forced 16 turnovers in the first half, but couldn't find the shooting touch, outshooting the Lakers 43-to-21, but making only one more field goal in total, shooting 32.6 percent from the field. In the final two quarters, KU shot a combined 55.5 percent from the field, making 6-of-7 free throws in the fourth. Its high-pressure defense and effective use of the half-court trap caused a total of 24 Mercyhurst turnovers, of which Kutztown scored 32 points off of compared to 11 for MU.
 
Between fellow first-year Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) and Smith, a freshman has led the team in scoring in six of its first eight contests. The win for the Golden Bears (5-3, 1-2 PSAC) is their first of the season in PSAC-play, extending their home win streak to four in a row and overall streak to three.
 
KU will have its second of back-to-back conference games at Keystone Arena, welcoming the Gannon University Golden Knights tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. Live stats, video via the Golden Bear Network and game notes are available via the links above.