CHEYNEY, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team posted its third-straight win, defeating Cheyney University 78-56 on the road in its second Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup of the season on Saturday afternoon.
 
Its third-straight victory leaves Kutztown (10-16, 7-11 PSAC) tied for fourth place in the PSAC with four contests remaining in the season.
 
Three Golden Bears reached double-digit figures on the evening. Alex Heck (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Philadelphia U.)) led the charge for the Golden Bears with a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds. Bolstered by Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) and Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) with 12 points each, the Kutztown bench outscored the Wolves 39-22.
 
Turnovers played a major key in the KU success Saturday afternoon; the Golden Bears scored 18 points off turnovers, compared to two points from the Wolves (4-16, 4-15 PSAC).
 
Jenna Altomare (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area), racking up her 54th triple of the season, currently sits ninth in single-season program history in 3-pointers.
 
A neck-and-neck first quarter capped off by Sierra Taylor (Williamstown, N.J./Camden Catholic)'s free throw with four seconds to spare allowed both teams to open the second evened at 15 points. The Golden Bears began to pull away just 29 seconds into the second quarter, a campaign sparked by a jumper from Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy). KU scored the next nine points, keeping a close lead over the Wolves for the remainder of the half and entering the locker room with a 30-23 advantage.
 
KU continued its close lead over Cheyney until early in the fourth, when a layup from Kara Funk (Dover, Pa./Dover) in the paint 24 seconds into the period helped the Maroon and Gold begin their comfortable lead over their opponent for the rest of the evening.
 
Kaylan Jackson (Germantown, Md./Clarksburg) helped solidify the Maroon and Gold win with two successful free throws with 15 seconds left in the contest, giving KU a 22-point lead, the largest of the night.
 
Cheyney was led by two players in double-figures on the evening - Taschell Phillips with 12 points, reinforced by TaKayla Ellis with 11.
 
The Maroon and Gold return home for their next matchup against East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. KUSSI will be holding giveaways for its annual Fan Appreciation Night.