ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- Junior guard
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) tied his career high in points as the Kutztown University men's basketball team (1-0 ) downed Elizabeth City State (0-1) 84-75 in its season-opener Friday evening at the R.L. Vaughan Center.
The Edgewood, Md. native netted 29 points, tying his career-high that he originally set in a game against Seton Hill last season. As he's done his whole college career, Bryant has made a living at drawing contact while driving to the basket, sending him to the charity stripe. He shot 20-of-22 from the line, which was also the most in his college career. Bryant also snagged four rebounds.
The other story of the game for KU was the freshman class. The trio of Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford), Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown), and Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) all started in their collegiate debuts and made an impact for Bernie Driscoll's squad. All three scored in double digits, with Ricketts Jr. leading the way with 16 points. Cunningham and McGhee had the joint-team high in rebounds with six. Yahmir Satterfield (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) saw the floor for 20 minutes in his debut, also scoring in double-digits with 12 points while snagging three rebounds. Tyler Koening was the other debutant, registering KU's only block in the game.
The Golden Bears were hot from the floor in the second half, shooting 62.5% compared to Elizabeth City State's 45.5%. KU also shot 57% from three in the second half (4-7), compared to the Vikings' 20% (2-10). Thanks to their hot shooting, the Golden Bears went from down 37-34 at the half to up 45-37 a little over three minutes into the second frame. KU's largest lead of the contest was 15 by the time there was 4 minutes left in the contest.
It's a great starting point for a youthful Golden Bears squad that had dropped this same game to the Vikings 85-82 last season. It's KU's first win against Elizabeth City State all-time in three tries. It's also the Golden Bears' first win in a season opener since the start of the 2019-2020 season.
KU has a quick turnaround as it faces Lincoln (Pa.) tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. down in Elizabeth City, N.C.
