MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- The Kutztown University men's basketball team (2-16, 1-11 PSAC) struggled to keep up offensively in the second half against Millersville (14-3, 9-2 PSAC) in a 90-74 loss Wednesday night at the Pucillo Gymnasium.
Freshman guard Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) led the Golden Bears with 22 points, one point off his season high, and a perfect 14-for-14 mark from the charity stripe. His 100% mark from the free throw line on 14 attempts ties the program record for the most free throws made in a game without missing. Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) is the only other Golden Bear to do it, with it coming last year against East Stroudsburg.
Fellow freshman guard Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) scored a season-high 18 points while Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and 9 boards.
The Golden Bears came out firing against the Marauders, who currently occupy the second seed in the PSAC East. The Golden Bears led by as much as eight in the first half thanks to a Pagan fastbreak layup with 8:26 left. Millersville battled back, tying the game from the free throw line with 1:50 till the half. A 6-0 run, capped off by a dunk from Matt Dade, saw the Marauders enter the break up 41-35.
KU came out of the break on a 9-2 run to tie the game back up at 43 only 2:30 into the second half. But from that point, Millersville opened up the game, taking a 10-point lead with 13:08 left. The Marauders continued to pull away as the half went on, leading by as much as 18. A Will Meeker (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) buzzer-beater ended the contest as Millersville walked away 90-74 winners.
The Golden Bears did relatively well shooting the ball, going 44.9% from the floor including a 57.1% mark from beyond the arc. KU's perimeter defense was also good, holding Millersville to only one three on 11 attempts. Rebounding was an issue as Millersville grabbed 32 boards to KU's 24. That performance beneath the basket for Millersville also led to 62 points in the paint compared to 36 from the Golden Bears.
Matt Dade led Millersville with 24 points, followed by Jaden Faulkner with 21. Seven of the 10 players that saw the floor for Millersville grabbed three or more rebounds.
The Golden Bears wrap up their three-game road swing against East Stroudsburg, who currently sit first in the PSAC East. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29.
