EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team fell in their road finale, 105-85, to the East Stroudsburg Warriors in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division game inside Koehler Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
The Golden Bears (8-19, 4-16 PSAC) traveled to the Poconos to face a Warriors (21-6, 15-5 PSAC) team that showed off their physicality in their matchup at Keystone Arena, and it was on display again in a 20-point victory over a guard-filled Kutztown lineup.
ESU started fast with a 12-2 lead in the first five minutes, but that didn't prevent KU from bouncing back and drawing within three points to make it 23-20 in the opening 10 minutes. A 9-0 run from the Warriors extended their lead, which they managed to grow to 12 points by the end of the half.
While the second period was much more active for both teams, it fared no better for the Golden Bears. East Stroudsburg opened the frame with a 15-4 run, and a 51% shooting mark from the field in the final 20 minutes helped them to 57 points in the half. The Warriors eclipsed the 100-point mark for the third time this season.
Kutztown struggled to gain footing with a smaller lineup, and while there was an occasional scoring spurt by a KU player, it was often answered by a Warriors lineup that frequently featured three forwards patrolling the floor.
Sophomore forward Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) was one of just two available big men for the Golden Bears, and he filled up the stat sheet with 20 points on 7-of-9 from the field to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action. Brent Ricketts Jr. (Seaford, Del./Seaford) did his damage from deep, scoring all 12 points on a 4-for-7 clip from the field. Guard Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) contributed 15 points and four rebounds, while senior Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) scored eight of his 12 points from the free throw line.
Four players had two steals for Kutztown, as Juju Pagan (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) and Yahmir Satterfield (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) joined Cunningham and Bryant to secure eight of the game-high 11 steals, topping ESU's eight takeaways. Pagan finished the night with nine points and four assists, while Satterfield had five points for the Golden Bears. Tyler Koenig (Waldwick, N.J./Pioneer Academy) checked in as the other big man, draining all three of his shot attempts for six points while pulling in a pair of rebounds in six minutes of action.
The Golden Bears will wrap up their season against the Golden Rams of West Chester this Saturday, March 1, at 3 p.m. at Keystone Arena, where the team will honor its senior class before tip-off.
