SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team notched its first road victory of the season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), winning 67-56 over the Shippensburg University Raiders on Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House.
The Golden Bears had three scorers in double-digits on the afternoon, led by
Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn), who tied a career-high with 16 points, in an efficient 27 minutes of play.
Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) tallied a season-high 15 points, 12 of which came in the first half, on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc and added 4-of-5 makes from the charity stripe.
Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) rounded out the KU players in double-figures, posting 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Kutztown stormed out of the gates, racing out to a 20-12 lead at the end of the first ten minutes, during which Zerman made two of her three three-pointers.
Kalee Fuegel (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) added a triple of her own in the waning moments of the first quarter, giving the Maroon and Gold an eight-point lead after one. With this lead in hand, the Golden Bear defense played effectively with the lead, allowing just 21 Raider points in the second and third quarter combined, allowing KU to take a 44-33 advantage into the final frame.
A major factor in the defensive effort was Lapkiewicz and Fuegel's ability to lock down the PSAC's second-leading scorer, Ariel Jones. Jones, who came in averaging 20.9 ppg, was held to just one field goal through the first three quarters, with Fuegel and Lapkiewicz allowing her very little room to maneuver with the ball.
The Raiders made their push in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points in the final ten minutes, but the Maroon and Gold were up to the task, matching Shippensburg with 23 points of their own, making 5-of-6 free throws in the final 1:15.
The sharpshooting Kutztown offense had five different players knock down a three-point attempt, shooting a combined 8-of-20 from deep. As a team, KU shot 38.6 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 68.2 percent from the free throw line, making 11-of-17 attempts.
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) struggled shooting from the field, but made her presence felt on the boards, ripping down a season-high 12 rebounds to go along with her eight points and two assists. Derr, Lapkiewicz and
Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area), who grabbed seven boards of her own, paced the Maroon and Gold's effort on the glass, helping the Golden Bears outrebound Shippensburg 40-34. KU's reserves continue to be a major storyline for this team, amassing 26 of the team's 67 points led by Zerman's 15 points off the bench.
Derr, making her 56th three-pointer of the season in the game, surpassed Andrea Sisson's freshman record of 55 made three-pointers in 2010-11, making her the new KU freshman record holder for three-pointers in a season with still eight more regular season games remaining.
KU improves to 12-8 overall and 7-7 in the PSAC while Shippensburg falls to 4-15 and 3-10 in conference play. This is the first win for the Golden Bears over Shippensburg in seven tries, dating back to Mar. 1, 2014, an 83-74 victory in the first round of the PSAC playoffs.
Kutztown will look to make it two in-a-row on the road in their next contest, traveling to Bloomsburg for a PSAC Eastern Division matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
