CHEYNEY, Pa. – The ninth-ranked Kutztown University men's basketball team recorded its 12th straight win in a 113-75 victory over Cheyney University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup inside Alfred Cope Hall.
With the win, the Golden Bears have improved their record to 20-2 on the season, notching back-to-back 20-win seasons as well as the sixth 20-win season in program history.
One game removed from breaking the school record for single-season assists, KU junior
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) outdid himself by dropping 14 dimes against the Wolves, breaking the school record for most assists in a game.
The record had been 20 years old until Ridgeway's stellar performance. Ridgeway's output was also done in a mere 23 minutes.
Ridgeway now has 394 career assists and needs 12 to pass Eddie McTague for the third spot on the leaderboard for career assists.
Kutztown wasted little time getting into a rhythm as it jumped out to a quick 23-10 lead with 12:43 left in the first half.
The Golden Bears continued their high octane offense and eventually extended their lead to 21 with 4:43 left in the half. The Golden Bears entered the second half with a sizeable lead of 61-29.
The second half proved to be a similar story as Kutztown's smallest lead of the half was a 26-point margin.
For the first time this season, Kutztown had all 14 of its players score in the contest.
Leading the team in scoring was
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington), who finished with 20 points, four assists and two steals. Lee bounced back from a subpar shooting performance against Mansfield and finished 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) and
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) were tied for second on the team with 14 points apiece. Johnson finished with eight rebounds while Connolly hit two 3-pointers.
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to six, tallying 10 points. He also finished with four rebounds and two blocks.
Kutztown's bench had one of its best performances this season with a total of 49 points.
Martin Dietrich (Maytown, Pa./Donegal) and
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) had the best performances in relief with eight points each. Dietrich added two steals while Beidelman recorded four assists.
Notably, Beidelman needs 20 more assists to move up in the record book to fourth all-time in career assists.
Cheyney was led by Rafiq Marshall, who tallied a game-high 26 points. He also came away with five rebounds and four assists.
Kutztown will now be gearing up for its contest against East Stroudsburg University, which holds plenty of playoff implications. Be sure to come out and support the Golden Bears this Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at Keystone Arena for KUSSI Fan Appreciation Night.
