KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Despite the Mountaineers' best comeback effort, some late-game heroics from
Brendan Boyle (Allentown, Pa./Notre Dame) and a blazing offensive performance lifted the Kutztown University men's basketball team (3-18, 2-13 PSAC) over Mansfield (6-14, 4-11 PSAC) 83-80 Saturday afternoon at Keystone Arena.
The win snaps a five-game losing skid for the Golden Bears and moves them just two games back of Mansfield for the sixth seed in the PSAC Tournament with eight regular season games remaining.
Offense was the name of the game in this one, as KU shot a season-best 62.3% from the floor. Five Golden Bears ended in double-figures, led by Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) with 17. The freshman guard also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) ended with 15, followed by Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) with 14. Boyle and Kameron Roberts (Townsend, Del./Middletown) both ended with 11. 52 of Mansfield's 80 points came from Saraj Ali and Michael Dickson, who had 29 and 23 points respectively.
The Golden Bears started the game strong, opening up a 10-2 lead just over three minutes in thanks to five points from McGhee. That would be KU's largest lead in the first 20 minutes as Mansfield slowly cut into the lead as the half approached. A Dickson jumper with two seconds left made it 39-37 entering the locker room. KU did not trail in the first half and shot 60% from the floor.
KU came out of the locker room hot, going on a 13-6 run to open up a 52-43 lead and force an early Mansfield timeout. A beautiful driving layup from Boyle extended the lead to 10 with 12:21 left in the game. The Golden Bears' lead fluctuated throughout the half, as KU responded to whatever offensive groove Mansfield was able to find. KU led by as much as 14 with 7:29 left.
The Mountie's full-court press started to heat up as the game drew closer to its conclusion, causing some KU mistakes. A massive chase-down block by Ricketts Jr., followed by an offensive board off a missed free throw from Roberts helped quell the momentum, but the Mounties were able to tie the game at 80 with 46 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Boyle drove to the basket and threw up a circus shot through contact to make it 82-80. Mansfield missed a similar shot at the other end, allowing Boyle to grab the rebound, get fouled, and make one of two from the line to make it 83-80. The Mounties missed a shot to tie but got the ball left with one second. It didn't prove to be enough time as the Mounties couldn't get the shot off and the Golden Bears held on for an 83-80 win.
The Golden Bears kick off a three-game road swing, starting at Lock Haven on Wednesday, Feb. 7. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
