KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown women's basketball held 15th-ranked and defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion, Gannon, to just 22 second half points in amassing revenge of last year's PSAC semifinal game on the same court, defeating the Golden Knights 55-54 Friday night at Keystone Arena in the conference opener for both teams.
The Golden Bears (2-4 overall, 1-0 PSAC) needed a victory, having lost three-in-a-row and four of their first five to start the season. It happened mostly on the defensive end of the floor for the Maroon and Gold as they held the Golden Knights (6-1, 0-1) in check offensively as they shot just 37.7% (20-for-53) from the floor overall, including just 15.4% (2-for-13) in the third quarter.
Kutztown trailed for the entirety of the first half, including a game-high 10 points (17-7), and went into the locker room at halftime down 32-28, but tied it two separate times in that third quarter. KU took its first lead of the game with 7:56 left in the final quarter on a jumper by
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy). Gannon would score four straight to take back the lead, but a good basket by
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) and then two free-throws from
Annie Whalen (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) back in front for good with 5:33 to play. KU took two different, four-point leads and the Golden Knights cut it to just one (55-54), but there was just 0:01 to go.
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) led the Golden Bear offense in scoring with 14 points, and added six rebounds and five assists. She was 4-for-7 from the floor, 2-for-3 from long range and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Whalen tallied 12 points and three rebounds, while Remolde added 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) contributed eight points and four rebounds.
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) recorded six points and both
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Smelas had two.
Kutztown remains home to take on Clarion tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m.
