MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Trailing by double figures after a sluggish third quarter, the Kutztown women's basketball team did a complete 360 and outscored Millersville 21-8 in the final frame to complete the comeback win in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division road game Wednesday evening, 64-60.
It is the second win in-a-row for the Golden Bears, who evened their overall record at 9-9 and are 7-5 in the conference.
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) led the way offensively with a game-high 22 points and added three rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) also finished in double digits in points with 13 and collected five boards.
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) just missed double figures, tallying nine points.
It was close throughout the opening quarter, seemingly within one possession most of the first 10:00.
Sydney Pierson's (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) layup off an assist by
Bella Arcuri (Fallsington, Pa./Pennsbury) as time expired broke an 11-11 deadlock and gave KU a two-point lead heading into the second period. It was more of the same the first couple of minutes of the second. With the score tied at 15-15, 0:59 in, the Maroon and Gold, and in particular, Pulliam, went on a 9-0 run the next 2:36 to find themselves on top 24-15.
Leila Hurley's (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) layup at the 6:58 mark gave her team a double-digit lead at 29-18 and they went into the locker room for halftime ahead 32-24.
The Marauders climbed back into the game after the break, as they scored the first seven points of the third quarter in the opening 2:16 and eventually took their first lead of the game at 37-36 following a layup by La'Shyra Williams 4:18 into the frame. They had their lead climb into double figures at 48-37 with 1:09 remaining and the teams headed into the final quarter with the Black and Yellow on top 52-43 as Smelas helped out her team scoring four points in the final 0:25.
The fourth quarter remained just as exciting and continued the back-and-forth that the first 30:00 brought. It was also a good quarter for the Golden Bears, who began the opening 4:37 scoring 11 unanswered points to take back the lead at 54-52. They never trailed the rest of the way. Millersville pulled to within two points, twice, the latest was 62-60 with 0:45 to play. MU actually had a chance to tie or take the lead with the final possession and under 0:10, but an attempted three-point shot missed with under 0:04 on the clock. Arcuri sank two free-throws to ice the game.
Hurley finished with seven points.
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) had six points and three rebounds. Pierson contributed five points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Kutztown has the weekend off from competition and will return to action on Monday, Jan. 29, at 5:30 p.m., at East Stroudsburg.
