LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The 22nd-ranked Kutztown University men's basketball team battled for 50 minutes, but just 0:01 prevented it from coming away with a road win as Lincoln University hit a three-pointer as time expired to down KU 94-91 in double overtime in a non-conference game Tuesday night.
It was just the second loss in five games for the Golden Bears (3-2 overall), but the second defeat at the hands of the opponents' late-game heroics. Kutztown fell to West Virginia Wesleyan 74-72 via a Bobcats jumper with just 0:06 remaining.
It was a back-and-forth first half that featured 11 lead changes and six ties, with the largest lead for either team at five (Lincoln twice). With the score tied 27-27 with 1:53 left in the first half, the Lions scored the next four points to close out the half and take a 31-27 lead into halftime.
Kutztown came back to tie the game (35-35) at the 16:01 mark off a layup by
Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech). The Maroon and Gold would then go on to build a double-digit lead late in regulation after erasing the Lions six point edge with a 21-6 run early in the second half spanning 9:17 as
Facundo Arens' (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) layup gave KU a 63-53 advantage with 3:28 to go. It was then up by 12 with 2:48 left but watched as Lincoln closed out the half with a 15-3 run to force overtime.
Each team had chances at the end of either overtime period, but KU's would not drop in the first overtime, whereas the Lions' did in the second.
Redshirt-senior
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) played all 50 minutes and led all scorers with 32 points, eight rebounds and tied a career-high with three blocks for the Golden Bears. Redshirt-sophomore
Moe Williams (Townsend, Del./Life Center Academy), who clocked 48 minutes, recorded his second straight double-double, finishing with season-highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds, which was also a game-high on the glass.
Two other Kutztown players tallied double-figures with
Kiyon Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School) going for a new career-high of 14 points and adding four rebounds, and
Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) contributed 11 points and tied a season-high with nine rebounds.
Kutztown is off for the holiday break and will play just its second home game next Wednesday, Nov. 28, against Jefferson University at 7 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
