KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) led five Kutztown University men's basketball players in double figures with 16 points Wednesday night, but visiting USciences shot better than 54% to down the Golden Bears, 94-84, at Keystone Arena.

First-year Golden Bears Ryan 'Boz' Bernstein (Bronx, N.Y./Marianapolis Prep) and Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) knocked down a pair of deep balls in the first five minutes as the hosts took an early 10-7 lead.

The teams settled in and an evenly-played first half ensued. Both KU and USciences made more than 50% of their shots, with the Devils' (1-2) 6-of-7 effort from beyond the arc helping them to a 42-41 lead at the break.

Connor Murphy's big night for USciences took off in the opening stanza with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and nine rebounds. Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn) countered by making 5-of-7 from the floor to lead Kutztown (1-2) with 10. Bernstein added seven and Arens six.

Another Bernstein 3-pointer on the Bears' maiden possession of the second half followed by one from Arens gave the Maroon and Gold a 47-44 edge. Kutztown could not build on its quick start, however, and USciences took control by outscoring the Bears 22-4 over the next eight minutes. Arens made a pair of baskets, but KU was just 2-for-10 with four turnovers during the stretch.

With Arens and Butler each contributing 10 points --Butler's coming on a perfect 10-of-10 at the charity stripe in the second half-- Bernie Driscoll's team climbed back within six with 57 seconds remaining, but could close the gap no further.

Murphy finished with game-highs of 21 points and 17 boards, leading the Devils to a commanding 42-23 advantage on the glass. Paddy Casey and Jordan White sported matching 6-of-12 shooting lines to score 19 points apiece and Brandon Starr collected 12.

USciences shot 54.2% overall (32-of-59), including 7-of-10 from three and 23-of-29 at the foul line. The Devils also won points in the paint, 40-30, to snap a four-game losing streak against KU going back to 2015. Wednesday night's victory marked USciences' first in Keystone Arena since 2013.

Kutztown saw its streak of five consecutive victories in home openers come to a close. The Golden Bears have not been easy to beat on their home floor in recent history, going 57-14 since 2014-15.

With a strong contingent making the trip from nearby Reading to watch Butler's collegiate home debut, the Reading High grad scored 15 points to go along with five assists and a trio of blocks. He became the third Golden Bear to complete a perfect night at the foul line with 10 or more attempts in as many seasons joining Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) (11-of-11 at East Stroudsburg, 2018-19) and Ethan Ridgeway (11-of-11 at Slippery Rock, 2017-18).

Generett and Da'Quan Granberry (Linwood, Pa./Chichester) each had 13 points off the bench and Bernstein totaled 12 while holding a share of the team-high with five assists. Kutztown finished 29-of-65 from the field (44.6%) and were strong at the charity stripe with just four misfires on 22 attempts (81.8%).

Kutztown will face Jefferson next Tuesday. The game is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. at Kutztown, but with Jefferson head coach Herb Magee closing in on 1,100 career victories, the Golden Bears have agreed to travel to Philadelphia if the Rams beat 0-2 Queens (N.Y.) Saturday to place Magee within one win of the milestone. In the event that happens, the KU men will join the women in a doubleheader at Jefferson with start times to be determined Sunday or Monday.