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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – In the midst of a five-game home win streak, the Kutztown University women's basketball team will go toe-to-toe with the Seton Hill University Griffins on the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
 
KU (6-3, 2-2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) welcomes the Griffins, playing its best basketball of late, securing four-straight victories over Penn State Lehigh Valley, Jefferson, Mercyhurst and Gannon. The four-game overall winning streak is the first for Kutztown since Jan. 28-Feb. 7 of the 2015 campaign. The four wins-in-a-row have also brought the Golden Bears back into the D2SIDA Atlantic Regional Rankings, ranked 10th in this week's vote.
 
The Maroon and Gold swept both of its PSAC opponents this past weekend (Dec. 2-3), evening its record in conference play after suffering two road defeats at Cal and Slippery Rock in its first weekend of PSAC action. Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) averaged an even 12.0 points and 12.0 rebounds, racking up back-to-back double-doubles in the Golden Bear's triumphs over Mercyhurst and Gannon. Nearly making it three-straight with 14 points and nine rebounds against Jefferson, Ferguson was honored as the PSAC East Athlete of the Week for her outstanding play (Dec. 4).
 
Ferguson's inside play, complementing the sharpshooting freshman duo of Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), has made up a formidable trio in the scoring department for the Kutztown offense. Smith and Derr have made a combined 40 3-PTs this season, a mark which ranks second among PSAC duos behind Gannon's Maggie Mitchell and Chelsea Rourke (44). The first-year phenoms are averaging a combined 22.4 ppg, tallying 12.0 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively, which rank first and second on the team. As a team, Kutztown has made 66 three-pointers, second in the PSAC.
 
In addition to their offensive prowess, the Golden Bears have been strong on the defensive end, holding opponents to 64.4 ppg, sixth in the PSAC in scoring defense. Employing a high-pressure style, KU ranks third in the PSAC in steals and turnovers caused, averaging 10.44 steals per game and forcing 21.6 turnovers per contest.
 
The Griffins enter this matchup at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC, following a split on the road against PSAC-East opponents East Stroudsburg and West Chester on Dec. 2-3. Facing a 53-44 deficit in the final period, ESU used a 29-11 fourth quarter to defeat SHU in come-from-behind fashion. Seton Hill flipped that script, however, in its next game against West Chester. Down 40-32 at half, the Griffins outscored the Golden Rams 54-48 in the last 20 minutes of action to claim the 86-78 win.
 
SHU has three players averaging 14-plus points per game in Jenna Kaufman, Cheyenne Trest and Alexandra Hay, tallying 16.9 ppg, 14.4 ppg and 14.0 ppg, respectively. Kaufman and Hay have knocked down a combined 30 3-pointers at a blistering 44.7 percent clip, a sign that this tilt could turn into a 3-point shooting contest with it being a strength for both sides.
 
In the team categories, Kutztown holds a slight edge defensively, limiting opponents to 64.4 ppg compared to the Griffins, which allow an even 70.0 ppg.  Interesting stats to follow will be that of turnovers and turnovers caused, with the Golden Bears causing 21.6 turnovers per game and averaging 18.7 turnovers per game, but Seton Hill having a PSAC-low 13.1 turnovers per game and forcing just 13.7 turnovers per contest. Between the 3-point shooting of both teams and the Griffins' ability to take care of the basketball, expect this matchup to be a high-scoring, fast-paced affair.
 
A victory for KU would mean its first five-game winning streak since the 2008-09 season.
 
Live stats, video and game notes are available via the links above, which can also be accessed by way of www.kubears.com.