KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- On the back of five double-digit scorers, the Kutztown University men's basketball team (2-13, 1-8 PSAC) captured its first conference win of the season over Shippensburg (5-9, 2-7 PSAC) 84-72 at Keystone Arena Saturday afternoon.
Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) led the charge yet again for the Golden Bears, notching his first career double-double with 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.
Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) recorded his third straight double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Brendan Boyle (Allentown, Pa./Notre Dame) netted a season-high 14 points and six assists.
Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) and
Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) ended with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Defense was the name of the game for the Golden Bears in the win, holding Shippensburg below 40% from the floor, including a dismal 28% mark in the first half. Both teams struggled early on, with KU only having a 4-2 lead four minutes in. The Golden Bears broke the game wide open in the middle of the first half, going on a 24-11 run to take a 28-13 lead with under five minutes left till the half. The Raiders battled back to make it a single-digit affair with two minutes left, but a Pagan layup helped KU head into the half up 12.
The Golden Bears came out of the half still on fire, taking as much as a 25-point lead thanks to a Cunningham layup with 9:02 left in the game. The Raiders came alive from that point onwards, going on a 30-14 run to cut the lead down to just seven with two minutes left. Despite the comeback, KU remained resolute. An offensive board and bucket from
Ryan Glassmacher (Stewartsville, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.)) extended the lead back to 11 with 1:14 left. From there, KU closed the door from the charity stripe and hung on for the 84-72 victory.
KU was opportune in all facets of the game, outscoring Shippensburg in points in the paint (48-34), fast break points (14-7), and points off turnovers (20-14). The win snaps a 13-game losing skid for the Golden Bears dating back to the first game of the season. It's also only the third win in the last 12 attempts against the Raiders dating back to 2018.
KU will look to keep the momentum rolling against rivals West Chester at home on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
