MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Kutztown women's basketball team continued its hot streak and used a strong third quarter to come from behind and earn a 77-63 win on the road at Mansfield Saturday afternoon in the opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Divisional game.
It is the fourth consecutive victory and fifth in the last six games for the Golden Bears (6-7 overall, 4-3 PSAC), who now sit alone in second place in the East after an 0-3 start to conference play.
Three Golden Bears finished in double figures in scoring, led by a game-high 20 points from
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth).
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) tallied a career-high with 12 points and
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) had a season-best 10 points.
Yes, the offense scored 77 points, second-most in a game this season behind 78 in a win over Clarion on Dec. 19, but it was the KU defense that helped it complete the comeback and record a double-digit triumph. In the first half, the Mounties (5-7, 2-5) connected on 14-of-25 shots, shooting 56% overall. But in the second half, they were held to just 32% (10-for-31). The Maroon and Gold defense also caused 17 turnovers, compared to just eight for their offense.
Kutztown trailed after both the first (22-21) and second quarters (39-36), but turned it around in a major way in the third quarter. Assistant coach
Justin Hallman, who has been coaching for head coach
Janet Malouf while she is on leave, must have had said something good in the halftime locker room. The Maroon and Gold scored seven of the first nine points of the third quarter, and after breaking a 43-43 tie on a layup by Pierson, led the rest of the way, ending the quarter ahead by double figures at 61-51.
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) recorded nine points and six rebounds.
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals.
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) contributed seven points and
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) added six points.
Kutztown returns home to Keystone Arena for the first time in 2024 and will host its first Eastern Divisional game as KU takes on Lock Haven, the current first-place team in the division, at 5:30 p.m.
