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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Having already secured a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs, the third-place Kutztown University women's basketball team will host the fourth-place Millersville University Marauders in a tilt with playoff positioning on the line on Wednesday evening, Feb. 14. Tip-off from Keystone Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m.
With the possibility of locking up a playoff spot in its last contest, freshman
Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) answered the call for KU on Monday night versus Shippensburg, scoring 36 points on 6-of-7 shooting from distance, propelling her team to a 73-69 win. The Jonestown native's 36 points are a KU freshman record, rank third all-time in school history and are the most scored by a Golden Bear since Amy Wahl's school-record 39 points versus Quinnipiac on Dec. 20, 1996.
In discussing this season's goals during the preseason with head coach
Janet Malouf and her coaching staff, making the playoffs was the first item to check off the list. Mission Accomplished. Now, the team will shift its focus to goal number two, securing a first-round home game with a top-four finish in the PSAC's Eastern Division for the second consecutive year.
Welcoming the Marauders to 'The Den', the Maroon and Gold will have to opportunity to exorcise some demons and gain a firm hold of third place in the PSAC East with a victory, which would put them 1.5 games up on MU with three games to play. Those demons exist, not only from an 85-58 trouncing earlier this season at Millersville on Jan. 13, but also from a crushing 51-49 defeat at Keystone Arena which knocked Kutztown out of the PSAC playoffs last season.
In the two sides previous meeting, the Golden Bears struggled to make shots in a gym which has been known to be unfriendly to its opponents over the years. As a team, Kutztown shot just 34.8 percent from the field and 9-for-32 (28.1%) from distance. Even more striking is the fact that KU shot just six free-throws in this contest compared to the Marauders' 29 free-throw attempts, of which they converted 13-of-29 (44.8%).
Millersville's leading scorer Alayah Hall, averaging 16.7 ppg, dropped 24 points in this tilt, one of four Marauders to score in double-digits. A strong-rebounding MU squad hit the glass with purpose, out-boarding KU 46-31 in the game. Mary Fleig's squad led for the entirety of the game, going up early and using 38 points in the paint to keep the Maroon and Gold at a comfortable distance for the full 40 minutes.
MU, much like Kutztown, has enjoyed the comforts of Pucillo Gymnasium, sporting a 9-4 home record, but going on the road has been a whole different animal. The Marauders are just 3-7 on the road this season, winning just one road contest in the PSAC, 77-72, at Cheyney on Feb. 3.
On the flip side, the Golden Bears currently sport an 11-2 home record, having lost just one home game in the PSAC East this season, falling to first-place West Chester on Feb. 3. Looking further into the home and road splits this season, the contrast in numbers is astounding. KU averages nearly 20 ppg more at home (75.4-56.0), shooting 40.3 percent from the field compared to 34.7 percent on the road. From distance, the chasm is even more apparent, shooting 34.5 percent from deep in the comforts of its own gym versus 26.9 percent from three away from home.
With two teams who have similar statistical numbers across the board, the home court advantage which KU has enjoyed will surely give it good chance to get the revenge it is seeking on Wednesday night.
Live stats, live video and game notes will be available via the links above, which are also accessible on www.kubears.com.
