KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Junior Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) of the Kutztown University women's basketball team scored a game-high 24 points, 16 of which came in a critical second-half surge as KU outscored Lock Haven 43-24 in that 20-minute period to win a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division game 66-54 on Monday night inside Keystone Arena.
 
The win snapped a two-game skid for the Golden Bears (7-6 overall, 4-3 PSAC), both conference losses, after KU had a four-game win streak from Nov. 30 to Dec. 20.
 
"They came in in first place so this game was really important for us," said Derr. "Coach [Malouf] has been saying that we're capable of so much, but we just haven't proved that yet. I think this game showed what we can do as a team when we come together and play hard."
 
Derr's 24 points ties a season-high for the Lititz native, who also tied a season-best with five assists and added six rebounds to pace Kutztown to the victory over the previously first-place Bald Eagles (7-5, 4-3).
 
Freshman Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Senior Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) rounded out the KU trio in double-figures with 10 points, while adding four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. KU as a team had eight blocks.
 
Once again, junior Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) did a little bit of everything. She recorded nine points, six assists and five rebounds.
 
The Maroon and Gold fell behind early as Lock Haven scored eight of the first 10 points of the game, but then scored eight straight of their own, before the Bald Eagles closed out the quarter with six straight to lead 14-10 after one. LHU continued its pace in the second quarter, holding a lead in double-figures and going up by as many as 12 (27-15) with 3:21 left. KU cut the score to 30-23 at halftime.
 
The Golden Bears opened the third quarter scoring nine of the first 11 points to tie the score at 32-all. Lock Haven remained to hold a lead, albeit slim, as the two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter and into the fourth. KU came all the way back and took its first lead since the 4:34 mark of the opening quarter. KU led for just a combined 0:40 before Derr's fourth-quarter three made the score 55-52 in favor of Kutztown with 2:32 left.
 
From there the defense buckled down and did not allow another Bald Eagles point after they made a layup with 2:17 to go to cut their deficit to 55-54. KU scored the final 11 points of the game.
 
"Last year we didn't play a lot of zone defensively," Derr said. "We threw it at them tonight later in the game and I don't think they knew how to combat it. We got out and pressured their shooters better in the second half and I think that really paid a difference and helped our offense on the other end."
 
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) recorded four points and five rebounds, and Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) contributed two points, two rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
 
Kutztown will hit the road for two games this week, starting with an away tilt at Millersville University on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at Pucillo Gymnasium.