KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown men's basketball had to be strong at the end of both the first and second halves to withstand late Mansfield rallies and complete a 68-62 victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division game Monday evening inside Keystone Arena.
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It was the first home game of 2025 for the Golden Bears (5-10 overall, 2-7 PSAC), who are now 2-2 since the turn of the new year. Monday's game was a makeup from the previously scheduled date last week, which was postponed due to weather.
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Kutztown had sizeable leads towards the end of each half, but the Mounties (5-11, 2-7) rallied to pull to within a single possession in each, but the Maroon and Gold held strong to stay out in front each time. KU was ahead 37-28 with 5:01 left in the first half until Mansfield scored 10 of the next 14 points to trail 41-38 at intermission. Then, in the second half, the Golden Bears erased their own deficit to go on top by five (64-59) with 5:45 to play, but MU pulled to within just two (64-62) with 3:01 remaining. KU scored the next four points and held the Mounties scoreless to secure the victory.
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Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) finished with a season and game-high 24 points, one point shy of tying his career-best performance last season. The sophomore added seven rebounds and two assists.
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) tallied 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) recorded 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. It's the freshman's second double figure scoring game in his last four games.
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Kameron Roberts (Townsend, Del./Middletown) contributed five points and each of
Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West),
Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) and
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) added four points to round out the scoring.
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Kutztown has its second game in three days this Wednesday night when it welcomes Bloomsburg to Keystone Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
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