MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Freshman Annie Whalen (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) of the Kutztown University women's basketball team was on fire for the majority of the night, but put it into an extra gear in the second half to lead KU to an 86-79 come-from-behind victory Wednesday night at Millersville University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division contest.
 
Whalen finished with a season and team-high of 24 points, 16 of which came in a second-half comeback for the Golden Bears (8-6 overall, 5-3 PSAC), who trailed 25-15 after one quarter and 41-33 after two. The Archbishop Wood product was 7-for-11 (64-percent) from the floor and 5-of-8 (63-percent) from three-point land, both season-bests. Kutztown has now won two consecutive PSAC East Division games.
 
She was one of five different Golden Bears to score in double-figures, a season-best for KU. Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) tallied 15 points and four rebounds. Both Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) and Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) recorded 12 points and four rebounds, and Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) contributed 10 points and three rebounds as the Maroon and Gold had their second-highest scoring output this season, behind the 89 points they put up against Georgian Court back on Dec. 14.
 
Kutztown as a whole put the ball in the basket Wednesday. KU shot a season-best 49.1-percent from the floor, finishing 27-of-55. From long distance it went 10-for-25 (40-percent), the highest percentage this season with at least 16 attempts. Three-point land was kind to Kutztown in the second half as it shot 6-of-10 over the final two quarters, compared to just 4-of-15 in the opening two frames.
 
It took a little bit of time, but the Golden Bears finally got going. Enter midway through the third quarter.
 
Trailing 52-40 with 6:13 left in the third, Whalen connected on a three that began a 19-8 run to end the quarter, with KU behind by just one, 60-59. The freshmen duo of Remolde and Whalen then hit back-to-back three's on Kutztown's first two possessions of the fourth quarter, and following a layup by Lapkiewicz the next time down the floor, KU opened up a 67-60 lead with 8:22 to go, its largest of the game up to that point.
 
The Marauders (5-8, 2-6) pulled to within three (79-76) with 2:39 remaining, but they would not get any closer as the Golden Bears' defense held firm and Tarabocchia and Whalen combined to make seven free-throws to put the game away.
 
Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) was one basket shy of joining the double-digit party, finishing with eight points and four rebounds. Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) had four points and three rebounds.
 
Kutztown will travel west on Saturday, Jan. 11, to take on Mercyhurst University at 1 p.m. in PSAC action.