WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team came up short in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division action on Tuesday night, falling to the West Chester Golden Rams, 93-68, inside the Hollinger Field House.
The Golden Bears (4-8, 1-6 PSAC) couldn't keep up with the opposing offense, as while reigning PSAC East Player of the Week
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) turned in his fifth straight 20-point performance, it wasn't enough to hold off a Golden Rams (11-4, 5-3 PSAC) squad that is settling in among the top teams in the conference standings.
The first half was familiar to many games this season for the Maroon and Gold. The offense was able to go stride for stride over the first ten minutes, even holding a 16-12 lead with 13 minutes remaining. The tide shifted in favor of the home team, as the Golden Rams went on a scorching run that included a 14-3 stretch in the final three minutes to close the half with a 17-point advantage.
Kutztown managed an 11-1 run out of the locker room to trim WCU's lead to eight in the opening five minutes before the Golden Rams went on a 9-2 scoring spree that pushed a trio of Golden Bears into foul trouble.
Bryant put on one of his best performances of the season to keep his team in the ballgame, as the graduate guard finished with 20 points, including a pair of three pointers, 10-of-11 free throw attempts, three assists, two rebounds and two steals across 27 minutes. The Edgewood, Md., native fouled out of the game with 9:41 remaining after scoring four of his prior five field goals.
After Bryant left, it was all West Chester's game. The Golden Rams finished with five double-digit scorers, led by Anthony McCall's 22 points. WCU stretched its lead to 26 points without Bryant before snapping the Golden Bears' two-game winning streak in the end.
Senior forward
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals before exiting the game with five minutes remaining. Forward
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) stepped in, finishing with eight points and three rebounds, while
Omari Banks (Middletown, Del./The Phelps School (Pa.)) had a strong night with eight points, five assists, three steals, and a pair of rebounds in a team-high 34 minutes of action.
Kutztown plays its second game of a three-game stretch across five days, traveling to Shippensburg to play the Raiders on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. inside Heiges Field House. The Golden Bears return home on Saturday, Jan. 17, for a 3 p.m. meeting with Bloomsburg at Keystone Arena.
