KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown women's basketball erased a seven-point deficit late in the second quarter and took back the lead in the third, but Chestnut Hill caught fire in the fourth quarter and outscored KU 19-10 over the final 10 minutes to win the non-conference matchup 68-57 Tuesday evening at Keystone Arena.
It was the home opener for the Golden Bears (1-4 overall), who played their first four games on the road.
Kutztown scored six of the game's first nine points and held a three-point lead (11-8) following a 3-pointer by
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy). But the Griffins (3-2) ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run the final 1:57 of the frame. Chestnut Hill took the largest advantage by any team in the game with 3:31 left in the second quarter after a layup by Emily Chmiel, who scored a game-high 21 points, and went into halftime out in front 30-27.
The Griffins shot 77.8% from the floor in the second quarter and gave the Maroon and Gold offense fits with their full-court press.
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) connected on a jump shot at the 4:13 mark of the third quarter to give her team their first lead since early in the first at 35-34, but the Griffins quickly jumped back out in front and remained there the rest of the frame. Trailing 49-47 after three,
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) hit her first 3-pointer of the season as KU went on top 50-49 with 9:27 left to play. But Chestnut Hill scored 10 points in-a-row over the next 4:23 and never looked back.
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) led all KU scorers with 16 points, including going 3-for-6 from long range. Remolde added 14 points and six rebounds. Pierson and Zerman both tallied nine points and three rebounds.
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) scored the first points of her collegiate career, a 3-pointer in the third quarter, and finished with five points overall.
Annie Whalen (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) rounded out the scoring for KU with four points.
Kutztown opens up play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in its next game, next Friday, Dec. 2, against nationally-ranked and defending PSAC champion, Gannon, at 5:30 p.m., from Keystone Arena.
