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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team travels to East Stroudsburg University on Saturday, Jan. 20, for a date with the Warriors in a clash of the second and third-place teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's (PSAC) Eastern Division. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Koehler Fieldhouse.
KU secured its 10th win of the season on Wednesday, Jan. 17, defeating Cheyney, 85-69, behind 23 first-half points from
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick). Derr shot a perfect 7-for-7 from deep in the first half, tying the school-record for most three-pointers made in a game. Fellow freshman
Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) joined Derr in the three-point shooting barrage, making all four of her attempts from distance as the two shot a combined 11-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Through 17 games, the 10 wins for the Golden Bears are the fastest this program has reached this mark in eight years, dating back to the 2009-10 season.
The play of the Maroon and Gold's freshman class continues to be a dominant storyline this season as the first-year players have totaled 507 points thus far, accounting for 44.4 percent of KU's 67.1 points per game. In the win over Cheyney, the collection of Derr, Smith,
Kaila Brown (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) and
Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) scored 53 of the team's 85 points. Brown tallied a season-high 11 points and five rebounds, going 3-for-3 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Zerman knocked down a triple in her fourth consecutive game and dished out a season-high five assists, working the pick-and-roll game with Brown excellently.
Back on track after a strong performance against the Wolves, Kutztown (10-7, 5-6 PSAC) will now shift its efforts to a strong ESU (10-5, 8-3 PSAC) side which has won four straight PSAC games at home. The Warriors are led by the backcourt duo of Imani Brown and Jordan Hertz. Brown averages 20.7 ppg, second in the PSAC, and also is a guard capable of mixing it up on the inside, averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. Hertz is the primary facilitator for the East Stroudsburg offense, posting 4.3 assists per game. Hertz and Brown are also the Warriors' defensive stalwarts, averaging 2.7 and 2.4 steals per game, respectively.
Stopping Hertz and Brown will certainly be a focus for head coach
Janet Malouf's side, but, more importantly, the Kutztown offense will decide the result in this game. With ESU averaging 74.7 ppg this season, KU will need to shoot the ball well from the outset to steal a victory on the Warriors' home floor. Kutztown has been outscored in the first quarter in PSAC road games, 97-48, and has averaged just 58.4 ppg in those five contests. If the Golden Bears can parlay their shooting prowess from the tilt against Cheyney into this matchup with ESU, the Maroon and Gold will have an opportunity to get their first PSAC win on the road this season.
Live stats, live video and game notes will be available via the links above, which are also accessible on www.kubears.com.
