SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – In a different twist in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schedule during the 2025-26 regular season, teams will play road games on Tuesday/Thursdays one week during the year. Kutztown women's basketball continued its road warrior mentality Thursday night as it downed Shippensburg 64-54 in an Eastern Division showdown at Heiges Field House for the second victory in the last three nights away from home.
 
The Golden Bears (9-6 overall, 5-3 PSAC) were also victorious at Shippensburg for just the first time since the 2021-22 season, winning 64-55 on Feb. 26, 2022.
 
The Raiders (1-15, 0-9) entered Thursday in last place in the division, without a conference win to date. But they gave the visiting Maroon and Gold all they could handle, as they erased an 18-point KU advantage (55-37) with 4:35 remaining, and cut their deficit to just six (60-54) with 0:39 to go, before Bella Quinn (Ashland, Ky./Russell) and Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) sealed the victory at the free-throw line, combining to go 4-for-4 in the final 0:37.
 
Hurley finished with a game-high 14 points, going 4-for-6 from the floor, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. Jadyn Brenneman (New Fairfield, Conn./Western Reserve Academy), who continued to be the defensive pest that she is in give Ship headaches when they have the ball, scored in double figures for the first time in her collegiate career and ended with 12 points, doing most of her damage at the line with an 8-for-12 effort. Both Madison Siggins (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) and Ariana Smuda (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) recorded eight points with the latter grabbing seven rebounds and adding two assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
The two teams traded leads of as many as five (Kutztown) and six (Shippensburg) in the opening quarter until it ended with the score tied 17-17. The second quarter saw four lead changes and one tie over the first 7:45, before Danae Ellzy (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) connected for her first points of the game on a 3-pointer with 2:15 left that put her team ahead 29-26, a lead which they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Brenneman and Ellzy combined to make 4-of-4 from the line in the last 1:57 to send the Golden Bears to the intermission on top 33-29.
 
Kutztown's lead would extend quickly into double digits (41-31) midway through the third quarter and a Siggins layup with 1:19 to go in the frame gave her team a 45-35 advantage heading to the fourth. KU kept adding on early in the fourth and took as high as an 18-point cushion.
 
Each of Ellzy and Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) scored five points and added two steals, combining for 12 boards. Kitty Randa (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) had four points and both Taylor Gurysh (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and Alexa Windish (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) contributed three points. Quinn rounded out the scoring with two points.
 
After two games away from home in the last three days, Kutztown will be back at Keystone Arena for its next game, this Saturday, Jan. 17, when it hosts Bloomsburg at 1 p.m.

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