KUTZTOWN, Pa. – It has been quite a while since the last time the Kutztown University men's basketball team had fallen to Bloomsburg University on its home floor. That didn't change Wednesday. KU took a nine-point lead into halftime and played even with Bloom in the second half in coming out victors, 89-80, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division game at Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears (9-11 overall, 7-7 PSAC) have now won eight games in-a-row over the Huskies (8-12, 5-9) overall and have not lost on their home court to Bloomsburg since Jan. 23, 2002, playing Bloom every season at home at least once in each of the following seasons.
Kutztown remains in a tie for fourth in the East with East Stroudsburg (11-8, 7-7).
The two teams entered the game in the top-six in the PSAC in scoring offense and they didn't disappoint. KU, which ranked sixth, averaged 79.8 points per game and topped that total by 10. Bloomsburg was third at 82.8 ppg, but fell just shy Wednesday. Kutztown has scored at least 80 points in each of the last four games against Bloomsburg, and seven-of-eight.
Tarojae Brake (Coatesville, Pa./Octorara) and
Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) combined to score more than half of the Maroon and Gold's total points, dropping 27 and 21 respectively. Brake tied a career-high with nine rebounds and added three assists and two steals to his game-high scoring output. Butler added five boards and two assists.
Ryan 'Boz' Bernstein (Bronx, N.Y./Marianapolis Prep) was the third Kutztown player to record double-figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points, two rebounds and three assists.
The Golden Bears, which came into Wednesday second in the PSAC in free-throw percentage at 76.6-percent, ended the night shooting 61.3-percent (19-of-31). Their struggles, at times, at the charity stripe gave the Huskies extra life when KU could have put the game away earlier than it did.
Bloomsburg led early on, holding three separate leads of four points and as many as six (13-7) within the opening 5:20 of the first half. But KU rallied behind three 3-pointers by Brake on three consecutive offensive possessions, and, along with
Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca),
Akello Mosby (Philadelphia, Pa./Carver) and
Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn), went on a 13-0 run in a span of 4:03 to take a tied game at 17-17 to a 30-17 advantage. Kutztown went into the locker room at halftime ahead 41-32. Brake connected on four of his five shots from long distance in the opening half of play.
Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) and Butler combined for six points to score three of the first four baskets of the second half by both teams, and after a layup by Bernstein, Kutztown's lead grew to 15 (49-34) just 1:52 in. KU had its largest lead of the game at 19 (57-38) with 14:33 remaining, and kept a double-digit lead throughout a majority of the second half.
The Huskies chipped away and got to within nine at 76-67 with 3:08 to go, but the Golden Bears ran some clock and hit timely free-throws when they needed to to stave off the comeback attempt.
Sean Griffin (Abington, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy), making his first start in a Maroon and Gold uniform, had one of his best performances at KU. He tied career-highs with eight points, five rebounds, one assist and one block, while also adding a career-best two steals.
Generett recorded seven points and two rebounds in 11 minutes of action. Townsend and Arens both chipped in six points, while Townsend led all players with a game-high 11 rebounds. Mosby contributed four points and four rebounds.
Kutztown has a week off before its next game when it will host Millersville University next Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. inside Keystone Arena.
