KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team was within just two scores for the majority of the second half of its game against Shepherd University, but a 7-0 run by the visiting team over the last 1:56 of regulation thwarted KU's comeback attempt as it fell 70-59 Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division game inside Keystone Arena.
 
The Golden Bears (10-14 overall, 8-10 PSAC) fell for only the first time at home in their last five games at Keystone and just the second time this calendar year. KU is now in a three-way tie with the Rams (12-12, 8-10) and Lock Haven (11-11, 8-10) for the fifth and sixth seeds in the PSAC Tournament, with only two of those three teams receiving bids.
 
Tarojae Brake (Coatesville, Pa./Octorara) led all scorers with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. He also added three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) also recorded double-digits in scoring, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
There were six ties and five lead changes in the first half. Kutztown held its biggest lead of the game at five, twice, at both 12-7 and 14-9. KU's last advantage would be at 22-21 with 5:29 left in the opening half. With the score tied 24-24, Shepherd would score five straight points and go into the locker rooms at halftime ahead 31-29.
 
In the second half, the Rams went on a 6-0 run over the first 1:07. The Maroon and Gold found themselves trailing by four points several different times over the course of the second half, and even pulled to within just three (54-51) with 7:12 left, but Shepherd would not give in an continued its offensive pressure to secure the victory.
 
Junior Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) tallied seven points and seven rebounds. Sophomores Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn) and Akello Mosby (Philadelphia, Pa./Carver) both had six points, with Mosby grabbing five rebounds. Ryan 'Boz' Bernstein (Bronx, N.Y./Marianapolis Prep) and Michael Smith III (Chester, Pa./Chester) each contributed three points and three rebounds to round out KU's scoring. Sean Griffin (Abington, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy) had five rebounds for the Golden Bears.
 
Kutztown will be back at home inside Keystone Arena when it hosts West Chester University on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m.