LOCK HAVEN, Pa.-- The Kutztown University men's basketball team (3-19, 2-14 PSAC) fell victim to an early second-half surge from Lock Haven (15-6, 13-2 PSAC) in an 80-64 loss Wednesday night at the Thomas Fieldhouse in Lock Haven.
The Golden Bear offense shot 38.2% from the floor in the loss, with only Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) and Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) finishing in double figures. Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) and Ryan Glassmacher (Stewartsville, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.)) ended with a team-high seven boards each. Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) had four steals to go along with six points and five rebounds.
The first half was a half of runs. Lock Haven jumped out to a 14-4 lead early before KU cut it to just a three-point game at the 12:19 mark of the half. The Bald Eagles reopened the game as time went on, as a Justice Shoats jumper with 1:42 left made it a 38-26 game. The Golden Bears ended the half on an 8-0 run thanks to baskets from McGhee, Cunningham, Kameron Roberts (Townsend, Del./Middletown), and Brendan Boyle (Allentown, Pa./Notre Dame) to make it 38-34 after 20 minutes.
At the beginning of the second half, the Bald Eagles began to pull away. A 17-5 run out of the half gave Lock Haven a 55-39 lead with 14:09 left. A Collin Jones layup with 10:53 left made it 65-48, the largest lead for the Bald Eagles in the contest. KU battled back to make it a single-digit deficit with 4:09 left, but Lock Haven pulled away for the 80-64 win.
Justice Shoats ended with 24 for Lock Haven, complemented by a 20-point performance from Isaiah Stewart in only 21 minutes of action.
The Golden Bears' road swing continues on Saturday, Feb. 10 at Shippensburg. KU defeated the Raiders at Keystone Arena back on Jan. 13. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 3 p.m.
