MANSFIELD, Pa. – Trailing 14-4 after the first 10 minutes of action, the Kutztown University women's basketball team outscored the Mansfield University Mountaineers, 50-24, in the final three quarters to claim a 54-38 road victory in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play on Saturday afternoon.
 
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) scored a game-high 15 points, making 6-of-8 free-throw attempts, but it was the suffocating KU defense that puzzled the Mountaineers in the final 30 minutes, forcing 30 total MU turnovers to swing this result in the Maroon and Gold's favor. The Golden Bears held Mansfield to just 16 second-half points while totaling 35 of their own to secure their second PSAC road victory of the season.
 
Kutztown (13-10, 8-9 PSAC) struggled to get its offense going in the opening stanza, but that quickly changed in the second quarter. A three-pointer from Kalee Fuegel (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) to begin the second quarter seemed to lift the lid off the basket for the duration of the game, sparking a 15-8 second quarter run capped by a Derr triple with 1:32 remaining in the half.
 
Down 22-19, but with the momentum building its way, KU took its first lead of the game on a layup from Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) with 8:11 remaining in the third quarter and never looked back. A Fuegel lay-in and made free throw from Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) pulled the Maroon and Gold ahead 37-33 at the close of the third quarter, setting the stage for Kutztown to finish its comeback in the final ten minutes.
 
A surging Kutztown squad answered the call, going on a 12-5 spurt which included four-straight free-throws form Derr, to deliver the knockout punch, pulling ahead 49-38 with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter. Nine different players tallied points for head coach Janet Malouf's group with Derr as the lone Golden Bear in double-figures.
 
Ferguson posted a solid line, especially in this low-scoring affair, tallying eight points and six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) hit 3-of-4 free-throws and went 2-for-6 from the field, scoring seven points, and Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) chipped in six of her own on the inside.
 
Off the bench, Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) led the way with six points, four rebounds, two steals and one block in 15 minutes of play, continuing to provide a spark for the reserve unit. Smith was supported by Fuegel and Kaila Brown (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) off the pine, whom both scored five points on the afternoon.
 
After going 2-of-13 from distance in the first-half, KU regrouped and made the necessary adjustments, shooting just four triples in the second-half while getting to the line 23 times in the final 20 minutes. Mansfield, on the other hand, shot 11 second-half three-pointers, missing all 11 of its attempts, shooting just 1-for-16 (6.3%) from deep in the game.  
 
From the charity stripe, Kutztown shot 19-of-30 (69.6%) while MU had just ten attempts, going 9-of-10 (90%) from the line.
 
The win for the Golden Bears is now their 12th in-a-row over the Mountaineers, dating back to the 2011-12 season. The victory also snaps a two-game losing streak for KU and is its first road win when trailing at the half of 2017-18.
 
The Maroon and Gold return home for two pivotal PSAC Eastern Division contests this week, taking on Shippensburg on Monday, Feb. 12 before hosting Millersville on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Both games will tip at 5:30 p.m. and can be seen via the 'live stats' and 'watch' links on www.kubears.com.