LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Kutztown women's basketball's final game of the 2024 calendar year ended in victory and KU opened 2025 the same style, using a three-point barrage to earn a 68-66 victory at Lock Haven Friday evening in the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Divisional game of the regular season schedule.
The Golden Bears (6-8 overall, 2-4 PSAC) had 13 days between games, but the long layoff did not cause their outside shooting to be cold as they came out firing from the opening whistle and connected on 10-of-22 (45.5%) from distance, a season-high for three-point percentage. That was a huge deciding factor in this one as their defense also only allowed the Bald Eagles (8-4, 3-3) to make two 3-pointers out of nine attempts (22.2%).
Four Golden Bears combined for the 10 three's, led by three each from
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe). Pulliam finished with a game-high 23 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and one block. She went 3-for-6 from long range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. Hurley tallied 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) and
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) both drained two 3-pointers and ended the game in double figures in scoring with Smelas totaling 15 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block and Remolde contributing 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. That quartet accounted for 66 of their team's 68 points.
Lock Haven scored the game's opening two points to begin with a lead, but a Hurley three gave the Maroon and Gold their first lead at 3-2, but the Bald Eagles would go on a 13-2 run to take a double-digit lead late in the first quarter. That was the largest lead of the game for either team and KU used the second quarter to climb out of the early hole and tied the score 30-30 heading into halftime.
Kutztown fell behind 36-34 at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter, but finished that period on a 15-8 run to lead 49-44 heading into the fourth quarter. KU never trailed from that point on and had two separate leads of 12 in the fourth. The Bald Eagles rallied late, however, and pulled to within just one point (63-62) with 0:23 remaining, but Hurley showed ice in her veins and went 5-for-6 at the charity stripe to seal the victory.
Alexa Windish (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) rounded out the scoring for KU with two points.
Kutztown will host the first game of 2025 in its next game on Monday, Jan. 6, at 5:30 p.m., against Mansfield from Keystone Arena.
