SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team has been on a tear since the start of the new calendar year. But KU's hot play of late cooled off as it slipped up at Shippensburg University Wednesday evening, falling 76-63 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division matchup in Heiges Field House.
 
The Golden Bears (11-7 overall, 8-4 PSAC) won five of their first six games in 2020, including five in-a-row, but ran into a Raiders (12-6, 9-3) team also playing their best basketball this season, now winners of four straight nine-of-10 on their home court.
 
Freshman Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) paced the KU lineup with 17 points. She also had three rebounds and tied a career-high with five blocks, as she remained atop of the PSAC leaderboard with 44 on the year. Senior Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) also recorded double-figures for the third consecutive game, finishing with 10 points, two rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Classmate Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) ended the night one point and one board away from a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
Neither team shot well, as Kutztown went 19-for-54 (35.2-percent) from the floor and 5-of-19 (26.3) from long range, while Shippensburg was 25-for-73 (34.2) and 6-for-23 (26.1) from distance. KU started slow, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter and 12 in the second as it trailed 37-23 at halftime, the second-lowest scoring output in the first half this season.
 
The Maroon and Gold got into a rhythm in the third quarter and saw their scoring increase, but so did the Raiders. Ship's Ariel Jones led all scorers with 30 points and caused Kutztown defenders fits all night in leading a Raiders trio in double-figures. Shippensburg led KU 60-42 heading into the fourth quarter, and did not allow KU to inch much closer in taking the game.
 
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) recorded eight points and seven rebounds. Annie Whalen (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) contributed seven points and four rebounds, while Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) had six points and four assists. Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) tallied four points and three steals, and Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) finished with two points, five rebounds and two blocks.
 
Kutztown wraps up a three-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 25, when it plays at Shepherd University at 1 p.m.