SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Kutztown University men's basketball team battled back from an 18-point deficit to trim Slippery Rock's lead to four at halftime, but The Rock used another fast start in the second to defeat the Golden Bears, 85-73, in Saturday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover game at Morrow Field House.

It was the fifth straight win for Slippery Rock (8-2, 4-0 PSAC), which sits in first place in the Western Division. KU (4-5, 1-2) lost for just the second time in its last six games.

The Rock score the game's first eight points, but Kutztown worked hard to recover, pulling within three, 13-10, on a Channick Nkoma (Libreville, Gabon/Lycee National Leon M'ba) layup with 14:54 left in the half. The teams traded big runs before the half, with Slippery Rock outscoring the Bears 20-5 over seven minutes and change following Nkoma's bucket to take a 33-15 lead.

Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) (eight) and Michael Smith III (Chester, Pa./Chester) (five) combined for 13 points as KU responded with a 15-2 run, closing the gap to 35-30 with 2:05 to go. Butler canned a three with time winding down to pull the Bear within 37-33 at half.

Unfortunately for Kutztown, The Rock came out hot in the second. Frankie Hughes hit two of his game-high seven 3-pointers as the hosts ripped off a 19-4 run over the first 5:10, extending their lead to 56-37. The Maroon and Gold would not get within single digits the rest of the way.

The Rock managed to score 39 points from beyond the arc shooting 13-of-29. Hughes led the offensive effort for Slippery Rock, scoring 27 points on the night and making 7-of-12 3-point attempts. He tied his career-high in points as well as setting a new record for threes in a game.

Sophomore guard Akeem Taylor Jr. (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored a career-high 18 points for the Bears, while Butler tied his season high with five 3-pointers, leading the Golden Bears in scoring with 23 points. Kutztown's leading scorer this season, Butler has managed to score double digits in all but one game.

Smith III and Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn) rounded out the Maroon and Gold's double-digit scoring leaders, each finishing with 12 points. Nkoma had four points and seven rebounds.

The Golden Bears will try to earn a weekend split Sunday at Edinboro in their final game of 2021. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.