KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown's smothering defense was on full display Wednesday night at Keystone Arena, where the Golden Bears held Bloomsburg to 13 first-half points and cruised to their second Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division title in the last three years, 64-43.
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) registered a game-high 20 points,
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) added 12 off the bench and
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) reached double figures with 11 as the Golden Bears improved upon already established program records with their 24th win and 17th conference victory of the season.
Kutztown came into Wednesday's showdown looking to pay the Huskies (18-10, 16-6 PSAC) back for a 62-52 setback up in Bloomsburg last month. They did it convincingly, with another stellar defensive performance.
The Golden Bears (24-5, 17-3 PSAC), second in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings and 20th in the current D2SIDA Top 25, allowed just five Bloomsburg buckets over the opening 20 minutes in building a 31-13 halftime advantage.
KU came into the game tops in field goal percentage defense in the nation at 32.3% and eighth in scoring defense at 53.6 points allowed per game. Both of those numbers improved after the Bears limited Bloomsburg to 17-of-53 shooting overall (32.1%), including 5-of-27 (18.5%) in the first half.
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) knocked down a jumper on Kutztown's first possession and
Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) followed with a three from the left wing for a quick 5-0 lead. The Huskies trimmed KU's edge to 7-4 on a jumper from Ella Kale with 7:13 left, but it would be the final basket of the first quarter for the visitors.
Bloomsburg hit its first shot in more than eight minutes 1:11 into the second quarter, but went on another lengthy scoring drought by converting just two buckets over the final 8:49 of the half. The Golden Bears took advantage, opening an 18-point lead with a 16-4 run, bolstered by Hearn. The sophomore scored KU's final 13 points of the half.
Bloomsburg's 13 points were the fewest allowed in a first half by Kutztown since Mansfield scored seven, Feb. 8, 2017.
Kutztown's lead would not be threatened in the second half. The Huskies cut it to 12, 43-31, at the end of the third, but the Maroon and Gold hit 9-of-13 shots in the fourth to pull away.
Hearn's second 20+ point game of the season came on 8-of-13 shooting and 4-of-6 from the foul line. The forward from Lewes, Del., also grabbed five rebounds and provided a game-high three steals.
Pulliam scored her 12 points in just 16 minutes, making 6-of-8 shots. Derr hit three 3-pointers, while Smith and Remolde had seven rebounds apiece. Remolde, the six-time PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week this season, also blocked three shots.
With the win, Kutztown is assured the East's No. 1 seed in the upcoming PSAC Championship tournament. The Golden Bears will receive a first round bye and face an opponent yet to be determined in a home quarterfinal game Wednesday, March 2, at 5:30 p.m.
A victory in the quarterfinals would put Kutztown in position to host the PSAC semifinals and championship, March 5-6, which they did back in 2019 the last time they were PSAC East champs.
Kutztown shot 47.4% (27-of-57) Wednesday and outrebounded Bloomsburg 35-29. The hosts only committed nine turnovers, their second-fewest in a game this season.
Emma Saxton led Bloomsburg with 10 points, but was its only player in double figures. Meghan Corridoni had seven points and five rebounds and Katelin Starr collected seven boards.
Kutztown will go for its 25th win and wrap up the regular season Saturday at Shippensburg. Game time is 1 p.m.
