NABC Division II Basketball Poll | KU Game Notes | Live Stats | Audio
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team can clinch at least a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East title, its sixth in the last 10 seasons, with a victory this Wednesday, Feb. 22 as it will be traveling to Bloomsburg University to face the Huskies at 7:30 p.m. inside of Nelson Field House.
A win against Bloomsburg along with a Shippensburg defeat would mean that the Golden Bears (18-2 PSAC, 22-2) will clinch sole possession of the PSAC East title for a second straight year and fourth time in program history. Shippensburg faces off against third place East Stroudsburg on Wednesday night.
The Golden Bears are coming off their 14th victory in a row as they most recently beat Millersville, 90-78, on Kutztown's Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 18. If the Maroon and Gold are to extend their win streak on Wednesday, they will tie the second-longest win streak in program history.
A victory over Bloomsburg would also be Kutztown's 23rd win, tied for third most all-time, and its 19th PSAC victory, the most in program history.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released its Division II Basketball Poll on Tuesday, and KU was ranked sixth for a second consecutive week – its second-highest ranking in program history.
There was a new No. 1 atop the poll as Fairmont State replaced Northwest Missouri State at the top of the rankings. Fellow Atlantic Region representative, and PSAC member, Indiana (PA) moved up to No. 2, while Northwest Missouri State, Bellarmine and California Baptist rounded out the top-five ahead of Kutztown.
With KU at No. 6 and West Liberty at No. 7, four of the top-seven teams in the poll are from the Atlantic Region. Notably, the NCAA Atlantic Region poll, which determines the eight teams from the region to compete in the NCAA Tournament, will release its second poll tomorrow. The Maroon and Gold were ranked fifth in the poll last Wednesday.
The last meeting between the Golden Bears and Bloomsburg came on Jan. 18, where Kutztown was victorious 98-92 inside of Keystone Arena.
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) and
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) were the stars of the night for Kutztown, notching 24 and 21 points, respectively.
Lee and
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) continue to lead the team in scoring, as they are averaging 15.8 and 15.7 points per game, respectively. Lee is continuing his hot streak from beyond the arc, shooting an astounding 53.4 percent, while Johnson is currently leading the team in rebounds, averaging 7.2 per game.
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) is third on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 8.5 assists per game, good for third in the NCAA.
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) is averaging 14.1 points per game as well as 5.0 rebounds. He has scored in double-digits in eight out of the last 10 games for the Golden Bears.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) rounds out the starting-five for Kutztown with 12.1 points per game. He leads the team in both free throw percentage (91.7) and made 3-pointers (60).
Bloomsburg (10-10, 14-10) is currently tied for fourth in the PSAC East, having most recently lost to East Stroudsburg 68-95 on Saturday.
The Huskies are paced by Christian Mortellite, a junior who is averaging 23.2 points per game, which is second in the PSAC. Mortellite is a deadly shooter from deep, currently averaging the most made 3-pointers per game (4.17) in all of Division II.
Behind Mortellite is Yahmir Greenlee (15.5 points per game) and Carnell McGirt (12.8). Greenlee is third on the team in assists (53), while McGirt leads the team in rebounds per game (7.1).
