KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Trailing by five points at halftime, the Kutztown University men's basketball team turned it on in the second half, outscoring Jefferson University by six and holding on for a 76-75 victory Wednesday night in non-conference action at Keystone Field.
 
The yearly non-conference matchup with the Rams has become an intense rivalry for the Golden Bears (4-2 overall). The last three games played in the last three seasons have all come down to the final possession, and the three games have been decided by a combined five points, all victories by KU.
 
Redshirt-senior Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) led all scorers with 28 points and added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Redshirt-sophomore Moe Williams (Townsend, Del./Life Center Academy) had his third straight double-double tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) and Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) also reached double-figures in scoring, adding 12 points and 10 points respectively. Townsend had five rebounds and Arens contributed a career-high four assists to go along with four boards.
 
Senior Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech) recorded five points and five assists.
 
Both teams shot well from inside the arc in the first half, with Kutztown going 14-of-26 (53.8%) and Jefferson shot 17-of-31 (54.8%), but there was only one combined three made out of five attempts from each team.
 
KU held a lead for just 0:29 at 18-16 midway through the first half at the 11:53 mark, but was forced to play from behind the remainder of the half. With the score 22-20 in favor of the Rams, Jefferson would score 14 of the next 17 points and went into the locker room at halftime ahead 38-33.
 
But the Maroon and Gold's second half shots ripped through the nets at a higher rate in the second half. They shot 62.1-percent from the floor (18-of-29) and 75-percent from long range (3-of-4), netting their first three-pointer of the game on the first shot just 0:07 into the second half by Lee.
 
There were three ties within the first 3:35 of the second stanza until Jefferson took a 9-2 run to go up 53-46 with 14:09 left. KU would get to within one twice in the next 4:42, but could not get over the hump. Even after it tied the game at 62-all at the 7:49 mark, the Rams scored four straight and six of the next eight to remain ahead.
 
The turning point came after three straight points by Williams to cut the deficit to just 72-71 with 3:54 left. Lee converted the old-fashioned and-one 26 seconds later to push Kutztown ahead (74-72) for the first time since it led 18-16 8:07 into the game.
 
Lee went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line on the next possession, and Kutztown went ahead 76-72. After Jefferson's Deondre Bourne hit all three of his free-throw attempts, KU's lead was at 76-75 with 2:34 left on the clock.
 
Those would be the final points scored.
 
Kiyon Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School) and Dylan Elliott (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) rounded out the scoring for KU, tallying three and two points respectively.
 
Kutztown will remain at home for two games this weekend. It will first take on third-ranked Indiana (PA) on Saturday, Dec. 1, with a 3 p.m. tip. KU will then square off against Clarion the following day on Sunday, also at 3 p.m. Both Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference games are at Keystone Arena.