KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team fell to the Clarion Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon, 75-61, inside Keystone Arena in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference interdivision battle.
The Golden Bears (2-4, 0-2 PSAC) came out quite even in the opening minutes, holding a 14-11 lead seven minutes into the game. The visiting Golden Eagles (6-5, 2-2 PSAC) put the pedal down in the rest of the first half, and continued padding its lead in the second half on the way to a stellar victory as they return to .500 in conference play.
Kutztown, without leading scorer
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) (17.8 ppg), looked to junior guards
Omari Banks (Middletown, Del./The Phelps School (Pa.)) and
Yahmir Satterfield (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) to fill in for the All-PSAC Second Team guard from a season ago. While Banks (16 points) and Satterfield (13 points) gave their best effort to lead the Maroon and Gold, they could not outlast Clarion's four double-digit scorers, led by Aydan Cunningham with 19 points on the day.
KU went back and forth in the opening minutes, with both teams' defenses playing a big role in keeping the game close. While the three-point margin with 13 minutes remaining in the half was typical at that point of the game, it was the last time Clarion would trail, as the Golden Eagles went on an 8-0 run and kept building on its lead to the tune of a 13-point halftime lead and a 14-point final margin.
The home team felt the absence of Bryant, as the team was held without a three-point field goal in the first half (0-for-5) and finished 19-for-30 from the free throw stripe, both strengths of the fifth-year guard. The team used its size advantage on the boards, where they led offensively (7-6) and defensively (22-21).
Captain
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) was held in check by the Golden Eagles, as the big man was limited to seven points and six rebounds.
Tobi Ogunbare (Dublin, Ireland/Lawrence (Mass.)) added six rebounds, while fellow forward
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) contributed six points and five rebounds in defeat. Sophomore
Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) rounded out the major contributors with seven points and a pair of rebounds.
The Golden Bears remain home for its last 2025 contest as the team hosts Pitt-Johnstown tomorrow, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. inside Keystone Arena.
