KUTZTOWN, Pa - The Kutztown University men's basketball team was unable to snap its three-game losing streak against Lock Haven Saturday afternoon. KU kept it close for a majority of the first half, but then the offense started to struggle as the Bald Eagles pulled away for the 71-61 victory at Keystone Arena in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division action.

The Golden Bears (7-14 overall, 4-11 PSAC) started off strong, holding the lead for just under 10 minutes in the first half. They led by five points early in the game, but then struggled mightily offensively. The Golden Bears would shoot just 25% from the field in the first which included shooting 1-7 from three, as they would head into halftime down 33-23.

Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) and Channick Nkoma (Libreville, Gabon/Lycee National Leon M'ba) were the two bright spots for KU, as Nkoma scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half, while Bryant dropped a team high 17 points in just 25 minutes of action, plagued by foul trouble.

It was more of the same for Kutztown in the second half. In addition to having a hard time making shots, the Golden Bears were unable to stop Eli Washington and the Bald Eagles offense. Lock Haven (7-12 overall, 4-11 PSAC) would go on to shoot 58.6% from the field in the second and cruise to the 10-point win.

Michael Smith III (Chester, Pa./Chester) played a game-high 39 minutes for the Golden Bears, as he scored nine points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Wesley Butler (Reading, Pa./Reading) had eight points and five assists, while Robert Tucker (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson) notched six points.

Kutztown's 61 points scored are the second lowest in a game this season, as their season low remains 59 points, which occurred against Millersville on January 31. With the loss, Lock Haven leapfrogs KU in the standings, as the Golden Bears now sit in seventh place in the PSAC East.

Kutztown won't have much time to dwell on the loss, as it iss back in action at East Stroudsburg on Monday, Feb. 7. Tip off for the game is at 7:30 p.m.