KU Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Video
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Fresh off its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory, the Kutztown University women's basketball team heads west for its first road game in conference play, traveling to Pitt-Johnstown for an afternoon tip-off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.
The Maroon and Gold snapped a four-game losing streak its last time out with a 66-55 win at home over Clarion on Sunday, Dec. 2. KU was paced by four triples and 18 first-half points from leading scorer
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), whom finished with a game-high 21.
Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) joined Derr in double-figures, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of action.
With itself back in the win column, Kutztown (2-6, 1-1 PSAC) turns its attention to Saturday's matchup with the Mountain Cats of UPJ. UPJ (4-4, 1-1 PSAC) enters the contest falling in its last two tilts, suffering a 69-68 loss to Shippensburg on Dec. 2 and a 86-69 defeat to Salem International on Dec. 5.
Pitt-Johnstown's dynamic offense, which averages 71.1 ppg, fifth in the PSAC, is led by the two-headed scoring duo of Gabrielle Smith and Alli McGrath. Smith and McGrath average 23.4 ppg and 20.8 ppg, respectively, and stand 6-0 and 5-10, respectively, highlighting UPJ's strong post play. McGrath, whom has 60 made FGs on the season, is a dual-threat forward with the ability to step outside as well, shooting 33.3 percent from deep.
A key for Kutztown in this matchup will be to match the high-scoring of Pitt-Johnstown, a task it has struggled with thus far in 2018-19. KU averaged 67.5 ppg a year ago, but has averaged just 57.4 ppg through a tough first quarter of the season this year. A big part of that has been the increase in turnovers per game, turning the ball over an average of four more times per game, and a decline in its three-point shooting percentage, down from 33.0 percent to 27.6 percent.
Still, much of the schedule remains for the Golden Bears to get back to last season's form, showing positive signs of that effective play in their win over Clarion. KU made eight 3-PTs in the contest, shooting 40 percent from distance, and shot 47.1 percent from the field, its second highest-total in 2018.
If Kutztown can continue its hot-shooting and cut down on its turnovers, it will have a golden opportunity to steal a victory in a crucial PSAC contest on the road.
Live stats, video and game notes are available via the links above, which can also be accessed on
www.kubears.com.
