WEST CHESTER, Pa.-- The Kutztown University men's basketball team (3-21, 2-16 PSAC) fell in a hole midway through the second half and couldn't climb out, falling to West Chester (15-9, 12-6 PSAC) 84-79 at the Hollinger Field House Wednesday evening.
It was a relatively successful night offensively as four Golden Bears ended in double-figures. Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) led the scoring with 21 points to go along with six boards. Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. It's the most assists by a Golden Bear this season. Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) ended with 18, followed by Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) with 13.
Both squads traded basket after basket in the early proceedings of the game . The Golden Rams opened up a 37-30 lead after a mini 5-0 run towards the very end of the half, but a McGhee layup with 15 seconds left made it 37-32 West Chester after 20. McGhee finished the half with 13 points while shooting 66% from the floor.
KU tied the game at 39 just two minutes into the second half thanks to a layup from Cunningham. The Golden Bears then took their first lead since the early first half at the 17:40 mark, but the Golden Rams responded with a big 13-4 run to take a 56-46 lead. That run proved to be the biggest of the game because, from that point forward, West Chester was able to fend off any run KU found itself on.
Pagan made it a five-point game with 3:34 left, but West Chester was able to extend the lead back out to 10 with 42 seconds left. Late baskets from Cunningham and Ricketts Jr. cut down the lead as things ended 84-79.
Turnovers were an issue for KU, committing 13 compared to seven by West Chester. That led to a 19-4 points off turnover advantage for the Golden Rams. The Golden Bears shot 48.3% from the floor, better than West Chester's 45.3% performance. Robert Smith and Joshua Walker both ended with 20 points for West Chester.
The Golden Bears have four more games to go in the regular season, with the next three being in the comfy confines of Keystone Arena. KU hosts Bloomsburg for its annual Pink Game on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.
