KUTZTOWN, Pa. – On the day she was recognized with a custom ball pre-game for eclipsing 1,000 career points, senior
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) tallied a season-best 30 points, one shy of a career-high, as Kutztown women's basketball came up short in a showdown with No. 11 Seton Hill, 89-72, Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game inside Keystone Arena.
Pulliam netted 31 points her sophomore season and finished one short of tying that mark. She added 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal for her first double-double of the season.
The Golden Bears (3-7 overall, 0-3 PSAC) found themselves behind by double digits in the second quarter and were unable to inch any closer in the second half.
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) finished with a career-high 16 points.
Pulliam, Hurley and
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) all traded baskets early on to give their team a 6-2 advantage 3:30 into the contest, but the Griffins (10-0, 4-0) finished the quarter on a 17-7 run to lead 19-13. KU pulled to within just three (21-18) after a Pulliam free-throw with 8:17 left in the second quarter, but Seton Hill scored 11 of the next 13 points to go on top by double figures and took a 39-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Maroon and Gold pulled to within eight points midway through the third quarter, but could not get any closer and the Griffins held a double digit lead the rest of the way.
Smelas recorded eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Alexa Windish (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) finished with five points. Remolde had three points and each of
Bella Quinn (Ashland, Ky./Russell),
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen),
Anna Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley),
Taylor Gurysh (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and
Jess Aponik (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy) all contributed two points.
Kutztown has a week off before its next game and will leave conference play to take on Wilmington on the road next Saturday, Dec. 14, for a 1 p.m. tip.
