CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Kutztown women's basketball led after each of the first three quarters, but a fourth quarter surge from West Virginia State allowed the Yellow Jackets to clinch their first victory of the season in defeating KU 65-61 in the second and final day of the Mountain East Conference/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Challenge Sunday evening at California University's Convocation Center.
The Golden Bears (0-2 overall) jumped out to a 19-15 lead after the opening quarter, were ahead 31-30 at halftime and 48-44 after three, but West Virginia State (1-1) outscored Kutztown 21-13 in the final frame, including 12-5 in the final 6:52.
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark, finishing with five points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks. She becomes the 20th Golden Bear in program history to reach 1,000 career points and the first since former teammate and assistant coach Ryle Derr back in 2019.
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) finished with a double-double, her first of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, tying a team-high of 35 minutes. She also had two blocks and one steal.
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) tallied a team-high 16 points and brought in six rebounds and three blocks.
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) was just shy of double figures in points and rebounds, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds, to go along with two steals.
The Yellow Jackets scored the first six points of the game before a jump shot by Smelas 3:01 into the first quarter. Midway through the frame, the Maroon and Gold found themselves behind 12-4 before Smelas netted four straight points and
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) and
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to pull KU to within one point. A Hearn three-pointer pushed her team into the first lead of the game with 1:08 left in the opening frame.
A jump shot by Hearn 1:49 into the second quarter gave the Golden Bears their largest lead of the game at six (21-15). The score would be tied three times in the frame before KU held a one-point advantage at halftime. Kutztown went up by four following a Pulliam shot from distance just 0:06 into the second half. KU also led by four after the third also after a Pulliam three.
Kutztown will have its home opener for its next game this Wednesday night, Nov. 15, when it hosts Georgian Court for a non-conference game at 6 p.m., from Keystone Arena.
