SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. –
Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown),
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) and
Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) all finished scoring in double figures to lead the Kutztown offense, but KU had a second half lead slip on the road an dropped a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Divisional game at Shippensburg Saturday afternoon, 66-57.
The Golden Bears (12-11 overall, 10-7 PSAC), who were already playing without starters in
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) and
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) because of injuries, were even more shorthanded Saturday, playing without
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth), who entered the game averaging a team-high 14 points per game.
Pierson finished with a game-high and season-best 15 points and was two rebounds shy of a double-double, hauling in eight, while adding two blocks, two steals and two assists. The graduate student was 4-for-8 from the floor and even more impressively, went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, coming in shooting just above 50% on the season.
Remolde had her best offensive day of her career, scoring a career-high 13 points. Zerman totaled 12 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Raiders (4-19, 3-14) scored the opening three points of the game in the first 0:21, but Kutztown answered with a 6-0 run the next 4:28, highlighted by four points from
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) and two free-throws out of Pierson. KU led 11-10 after one and went ahead by double digits in the second quarter, by as many as 11 points, twice, and went into halftime on top 29-20.
The 11-point advantage came back once again following a
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) free-throw that made the score 40-29 in favor of the Maroon and Gold with 3:29 left in the third quarter, but Shippensburg scored 11 unanswered points to tie the score at 40-40 with 0:44 left and then took back the lead (42-41) on a free-throw by Abbie Miller with 0:16 to go.
KU was outscored 25-15 in the final stanza, as tired legs may have played a role, playing just seven student-athletes that all played over 21 minutes. A Smelas layup 1:27 into the fourth gave her team a 44-43 lead, but that would be the last time the Golden Bears had a lead.
Smelas recorded eight points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Hurley contributed six points and two steals and
Taylor Gurysh (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) rounded out the scoring with three points.
Kutztown finishes off a three-game road trip next Wednesday, Feb. 14, with a game at West Chester at 5:30 p.m.
