KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown women's basketball team shot 43.6% from the floor and outrebounded Pitt-Johnstown 42-31 in ending 2023 in style, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game 64-54 Saturday afternoon inside Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears (4-7 overall, 2-3 PSAC) have now won two games in-a-row and three of their last four to finish off the calendar year with some much-needed momentum.
Three players finished in double figures in scoring, led by game-highs of 18 each from
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) and
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth). The duo combined to shoot 50% (14-for-28) and combined for 14 rebounds, with Pulliam grabbing eight and Hearn six, with the latter blocking three shots.
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
Kutztown came out of the gate firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor, scoring nine of the first 12 points in the game and went up by double figures after a Remolde layup that made the score 22-11 with 1:58 left in the opening quarter before finishing off the first 10 minutes ahead 23-16.
The success continued into the second frame as the Maroon and Gold scored nine of the first 13 points and, following a good jumper by
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon), found themselves on top 32-21, 3:30 in.
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Remolde connected on back-to-back offensive possessions to give their team their largest lead of the game at 13 points, 37-24, with 3:03 left in the half. The Mountain Cats (8-3, 3-2) cut their deficit to single digits at halftime, trailing 37-29.
UPJ came out of the locker room with a renewed energy as it went on a 10-4 run to pull to within just two points, 41-39, 3:50 into the third. But that might've been just the wake up call the Golden Bears needed as they ended the quarter on a 14-5 spurt and were back on top by double digits at 55-44.
Pitt-Johnstown never got closer than nine points (55-46) in the fourth quarter and Kutztown's advantage spiked to as many as 17 points (64-47) midway through as it goes into 2024 with some positive momentum. The KU defense held the Mountain Cats in check all night, limiting them to a 29.1% (16-of-55) shooting day.
Zerman and Pierson both finished with four points and both
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) and
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) added two points.
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) rounded out the scoring for KU with one point.
Kutztown will open the new year on the road for back-to-back games in conference next week, beginning with a road matchup at Slippery Rock in the final crossover game of the regular season next Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 5:30 p.m. The Golden Bears will conclude the week back in Eastern Divisional play at Mansfield on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 1 p.m.
