KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack and an aggressive, pressure-style defense Wednesday night in an 85-49 victory over Cheyney University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game at Keystone Arena. It is the fifth straight win for KU and the ninth in a row at home this season.
 
Seven KU players recorded at least six points, and 11 players overall scored at least two to lead a well-rounded lineup on the offense. On the defensive side of the floor, the Kutztown defense forced 25 turnovers by the Wolves, the most KU has forced since its 86-72 win at Slippery Rock on Nov. 19 when the Rock also turned the ball over 25 times. Kutztown also had its way on the glass, outrebounding Cheyney 49-39.
 
The Golden Bears (13-2 overall, 9-2 PSAC) have now won nine straight games against the Wolves (2-13, 2-9) dating back to their last loss on Feb. 20, 2013.
 
Kutztown led from the get-go. A 3-pointer by leading scorer Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) just 0:13 in gave KU a lead it would never surrender. Lee led all scorers with 17 points, and shot 4-of-6 from three. He is shooting 56.5 percent from long range which leads NCAA Division II in three-point field-goal percentage. Lee also went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line and has a 92.4 free-throw percentage on the season, ranking first in the PSAC and fifth in Division II.
 
Three other starters scored in double-figures, including Rafiq Marshall (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz (Cheyney)), a Cheyney transfer playing against his old team for the first time. Marshall had 14 points, two steals and two rebounds. Moe Williams (Townsend, Del./Life Center Academy) tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, and Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) filled the stat sheet with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and a career-high two blocks.
 
The Maroon and Gold jumped to a 13-2 lead 3:06 into the game, but the Wolves scored the next nine points to cut their deficit to just two, 13-11, with 14:29 left in the first half. That would be the closest they would get for the remainder of the game, as KU went on a 15-5 run over the next 6:27 to take a double-digit lead it would not relinquish.
 
Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) made his fifth start of the season and contributed three points and seven rebounds. Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech) scored seven points, the most since he had 14 in the second game of the season against the University of the Sciences on Nov. 15.
 
Forwards Max Wagner (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Joseph O'Brien (Abington, Pa./Abington) each had six points with Wagner grabbing seven rebounds. David Johnson (Dunellen, N.J./Dunellen) hit 1-of-2 3-pointers for three points, and also had career-highs in assists (3) and steals (2). Freshman Kiyon Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School) added two points and two rebounds.
 
Demetrius Bennett (Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Neumann)) and Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) also saw action. Although neither scored, Bennett dished out two assists, and Arens had one rebound and one steal in five minutes.
 
Kutztown now sits solely in second place in the PSAC East Division at 9-2, one-and-a-half games behind first-place West Chester University (11-1). KU travels to fourth-place East Stroudsburg University (8-3) on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Koehler Fieldhouse in an important showdown.