WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – In the first game of his final collegiate season, Kutztown University men's basketball redshirt-senior Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) left it all out on the court. He played all 40 minutes and netted a career-high 41 points as KU opened the 2018-19 season with a bang, taking down No. 2 West Liberty on their home court 107-97 Friday night in the MEC/PSAC Conference Crossover.
 
It wasn't just about scoring for Lee, the Abington native added seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks, while never leaving the court. His 41 points ranks third all-time in program history for most points in a game. Lee was also near-perfect from the charity stripe, making 16 of his 17 free-throws, tying a KU record for made free-throws.
 
Lee, who led Division II in three-point shooting last season at 51.6-percent, continued his hot-shooting in the season-opener. He went 10-of-15 (67%) from the field and 5-of-7 (71%) from beyond the arc.
 
Don't be deceived by the double-digit victory because it didn't come easy for the Golden Bears (1-0 overall) as they had to fight and claw back from behind for nearly three-quarters of the game.
 
The Hilltoppers (0-1) jumped out early to a 10-0 lead barely two minutes after the opening tip. The hosts took their largest lead of the night, 39-28, with 7:34 left in the first half. But from that point, KU began its rally.
 
Lee came up with a steal and lay-in as the halftime buzzer sounded and the Maroon and Gold trailed just 52-50 at the intermission.
 
Kutztown took its first lead of the night, 59-57, when freshman Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn) finished off an assist from Lee with 16:29 on the clock. The two teams traded leads back-and-forth for a majority of the second half, but with the score tied 74-74 with 9:32 to go, Lee's four-point play (fouled on a three) put KU ahead for good.
 
Not to be outdone in the career scoring marks, senior Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech) poured in a career-high 16 on 5-of-7 shooting and 6-of-6 from the line. Hicks also tied a career-high with six assists and four rebounds.
 
Freshman Da'Quan Granberry (Linwood, Pa./Chichester) tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Junior Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) also joined the double-digit scoring brigade, adding 10 of his own, finishing just one rebound shy (nine) of a double-double. Generett finished with nine points.
 
Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) and Kiyon Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School) each made the start for Kutztown, and each sophomore contributed in a large way, both recording seven points. Arens also had four rebounds, two blocks and two steals, and Hardy took to the glass, grabbing a career-high six rebounds.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Moe Williams (Townsend, Del./Life Center Academy) finished with six points, four rebounds and two steals.
 
Kutztown plays one more game on the West Liberty campus, taking on West Virginia Wesleyan today, Saturday, at 3 p.m.