KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team lost their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division matchup with the Shippensburg Raiders, 76-70, on Wednesday night inside Keystone Arena.

The Golden Bears (7-18, 3-15 PSAC) had momentum in their favor at the break, leading by ten and getting good performances from freshman Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) and sophomore Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford), but the Raiders (9-17, 6-13 PSAC) put together a masterful, 45 point second half to claim the victory and stay in the hunt for a postseason spot.

Kutztown used one of their smallest starting five groups of the season to build an early 17-5 advantage, leading by as much as 12 (27-15) in large part to the nine points and two steals from McKoy, who got a starting nod and played 14 of 20 first-half minutes. Ricketts also excelled in 13 minutes of first-half action, scoring seven points while adding three rebounds and a pair of steals to go up on a shorthanded Raiders squad.

The second half saw a changed Shippensburg squad emerge from the locker room, as they converted on half of their field goal attempts and four three-point attempts in their comeback charge. The opposing defense made the Golden Bears uncomfortable on numerous occasions, evident in KU hitting on half as many shots and three-point baskets in the second frame. While the Golden Bears were able to hang until the end, the last four minutes saw the lead fade away as momentum shifted completely to the visiting team.

Senior guard Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) was pressed all night but led the team with 16 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. McKoy finished with 11 points and six boards, while sophomore guard Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) had 12 points to go with seven rebounds. Ricketts finished with 13 points, and Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) had nine points in increased action. Kutztown led the game in three-point percentage (36.4 percent), steals (eight to Shippensburg's five), and points off turnovers (14 to the Raiders' 10).

The Golden Bears remain home for a game against Shepherd on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. inside Keystone Arena before finishing their last week of the season with a road game against East Stroudsburg and a senior night matchup against West Chester on March 1.