KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown women's basketball finished off the regular season with some positive momentum as it defeated West Chester 63-57 Saturday afternoon in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division regular season finale inside Keystone Arena. And in doing so, clinched the top seed from the East in next week's tournament.
The Golden Bears (19-11 overall, 14-7 PSAC) won for the first time after their program-record, 12-game win streak ended in the last game this past Wednesday night. They finished off the regular season on a high note heading into the postseason with high expectations and goals.
Prior to the game, head coach
Janet Malouf and her program recognized
Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy),
Bella Arcuri (Fallsington, Pa./Pennsbury),
Naia Pulliam (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and
Abbey Hearn (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) on senior day, highlighting their illustrious careers at KU.
Following its first loss over a 13-game span, Kutztown did not want to experience that feeling again anytime soon and it made sure to come out firing from the start. KU opened the game scoring the first four points and nine of the first 13. Hearn accounted for her team's first seven points and totaled 14 in the first quarter to help her team take a double-digit advantage (19-9) after one.
The Maroon and Gold continued their strong play in the second quarter on both sides of the court as they did not allow the Golden Rams to score until there was 1:46 to go and went into the locker room at halftime leading 29-15.
West Chester began to show some life in the third quarter and pulled to within just six points in two different occasions, but Pulliam stepped back and drained a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to push her team's advantage back to double figures at 44-34.
The Golden Rams outscored the Golden Bears 42-34 in the second half to make it a game down the stretch, but the lead that the home team sustained throughout was too much for the visitors to overcome.
Pulliam and Hearn both finished with game-highs of 19 points with Hearn totaling 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) tallied 11 points and four rebounds.
Bella Quinn (Ashland, Ky./Russell) ended just shy of a double-double of her own, recording eight points, a season-high 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Kutztown has a bye in the First Round of the PSAC Tournament and will next be back in action next Wednesday, March 5, at 5:30 p.m., against a team still to be determined. KU will host the winner of the four-five matchup between Millersville and West Chester.
