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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Having won her 350th career game on Saturday at Cheyney, head coach
Janet Malouf and the Kutztown University women's basketball team turns its attention to a pivotal Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup with the East Stroudsburg University Warriors on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Tip-off from Keystone Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m. with Senior Night festivities taking place prior to tip.
KU (15-11, 10-10 PSAC) will have to opportunity to lock in its playoff positioning for the second time at home this season, having clinched its playoff berth with a win over Shippensburg on Feb. 12. Now, the Golden Bears sit on the verge of securing a top-four seed and first-round home game, of which they can do with a win over ESU (14-6, 16-8) on Wednesday night or with a Bloomsburg loss at Mansfield.
The Golden Bears will be honoring their two seniors in the 2018 class on Wednesday evening,
Kalee Fuegel (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) and
Keifonna Ferguson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area). Fuegel, whom has battled injuries throughout her four years in Maroon and Gold, has enjoyed a solid senior season, making significant contributions primarily off the bench, especially on the defensive end. Fuegel ranks third on the team with 31 steals despite playing just 15.4 minutes per game. For her career, the Philadelphia native has totaled 154 points and 114 rebounds in 13 career starts and 54 total games. She holds a career 41.7 shooting percentage from the field and has shot 26.2 percent from distance and shot 75.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Ferguson is enjoying her best season since stepping onto campus at Kutztown, holding career-high averages of 5.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg. The Norristown native recorded back-to-back double-doubles earlier this season on Dec. 2-3 against Mercyhurst and Gannon, earning her the PSAC East's Athlete of the Week Award. Ferguson is tied for the team-lead with 40 steals and ranks fourth in the PSAC in offensive rebounds, having grabbed 84 this season. She has totaled 424 career points and 492 career rebounds, shooting 48.5 percent from the field.
Kutztown last faced East Stroudsburg on the road on Jan. 20, falling to the Warriors 69-59 at Koehler Fieldhouse.
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) scored a team-high 18 points in the loss, making 6-of-14 attempts form distance and nabbing eight rebounds. Outside of Derr, the Maroon and Gold struggled to find their rhythm on the offensive end, committing 28 turnovers and shooting just 34.5 percent from the field. KU trailed from the opening whistle and an 11-point halftime deficit was too much for it to overcome.
The Warriors, who have secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Division and a first-round bye in the PSAC playoffs, have had two tough losses in-a-row, falling to Bloomsburg and West Chester by a combined four points. Imani Brown is a force on the inside for head coach Diane Decker, leading ESU with 18.3 ppg, fourth in the PSAC, and 6.7 rpg this season. Jordan Hertz, the team-leader in assists with an average of 4.5 apg, is the primary ball handler for the Warriors. Hertz is equally as strong on the defensive end, averaging 2.5 steals per game, fifth in the PSAC, and a team-high 1.0 blocks per contest.
As a team, ESU averages just 14.3 turnovers per game while KU forces 21.0 turnovers per game, second in the PSAC. This matchup will come down to which team can apply pressure and force its opponents into mistakes, creating fast-break scoring opportunities. If Kutztown can take care of the ball and be the aggressor on the defensive end, it has the ability to get its 12th home victory and lock in a first-round home game in the PSAC playoffs.
Live stats, live video and game notes will be available via the links above, which are also accessible on www.kubears.com.
