EDINBORO, Pa. – In the last game of the calendar year, the Kutztown University men's basketball team fell just short in splitting its games out west, dropping an 83-78 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover contest at Edinboro University Sunday afternoon.
 
It was the second defeat in as many days on the opposite side of the state, as the Golden Bears (4-6 overall, 1-3 PSAC) were taken down by Slippery Rock, 85-73, on Saturday.
 
For the first time this season, freshman Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) led all KU players in scoring, finishing with 15 points, while adding season-highs of seven rebounds and six steals. The six thefts are the most in a game in program history since Nov. 16, 2016, when Josh Johnson also had six. Channick Nkoma (Libreville, Gabon/Lycee National Leon M'ba) recorded his second double-double this season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, adding two blocks. Akeem Taylor Jr. (Chester, Pa./Chester) also tallied a double-double, his first on the year, totaling 10 points and 10 rebounds, while adding three assists.
 
Like in most of its brief history of this game, the contest came down to just a couple of points. Kutztown and Edinboro have played 10 times throughout the years, with KU winning seven. Six of the 10 games, including three of the last four, have been decided by six points or less. This one was no different.
 
There were three ties to open the game before the Maroon and Gold scored seven straight points with the score tied 6-6 in the first 3:51. The Fighting Scots (5-5, 2-2) then scored the next nine points to take back the lead in what would be a back-and-forth first half. There were seven ties and six lead changes in the opening 20 minutes of play as KU led 36-34 at halftime.
 
Edinboro left the locker room and netted six straight points in the first 1:52 of the second half to take a 40-36 advantage, a lead in which it held until the 11:56 mark, when Evan-Eric Longino (Furlong, Pa./Germantown Academy) connected on a jumper inside of the paint to give the Golden Bears a slim 50-49 lead. Over the next 7:29, however, the Fighting Scots went on a 19-8 run to take its largest lead of the game at 68-58 with 4:27 to go.
 
Kutztown pulled to within just four, 71-67, with 2:17 to go after two free-throws by Taylor Jr., but KU went 0-for-3 from the floor in its next two possessions, and Edinboro was able to pull it out in the end.
 
Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) finished with eight points, and Longino, Robert Tucker (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson), Kyree Generett (York, Pa./William Penn) and Michael Smith III (Chester, Pa./Chester) all had seven points each. Ky'Aire Sumpter (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) added three for KU.
 
After its previous 10-day break before this weekend's two-game western swing, Kutztown will now have exactly two weeks off before its next game, also on the road out west. KU will take on California (Pa.) on Sunday, Jan. 2, for a 3 p.m., tip-off.