GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Kutztown men's basketball battled all the way back from 15 points down to pull within two with eight minutes to play in Friday's PSAC crossover game at Seton Hill, but the host Griffins outscored the Golden Bears 20-7 the rest of the way to claim a 77-62 victory at the McKenna Center.
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) scored a game-high 25 points for the Maroon and Gold, moving into seventh place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,485 points in the process. Jordan Nkoa Absessolo had 12 points and
Omari Banks (Middletown, Del./The Phelps School (Pa.)) nine for Kutztown (2-6, 0-4 PSAC).
Seton Hill never trailed in the contest and led for all but 57 seconds in winning its 11th game of the season (11-2, 5-1 PSAC).
While the Griffins held the upper hand for nearly the entire game, the Golden Bears threatened multiple times in the second half.
The visitors trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before getting within nine at the half, 40-31. KU kept pace for the better part of the second half, slowly cutting away at the Seton Hill advantage. A Banks jumper made it a two-point contest, 53-51, with 11:10 to go, before a Bryant layup off a Banks steal and dish got it back to two, 57-55, just under three minutes later.
Like it's final game before the holiday break, a 79-67 loss to Pitt-Johnstown at Keystone Arena, Kutztown just couldn't get over the hump to tie or take the lead in the second half.
Rashaad Williams converted a 3-point play a minute later to answer Bryant's bucket and Seton Hill only allowed two KU field goals over the final seven minutes to extend its lead back to 15 by the final horn.
The Griffins outscored KU 23-6 in bench points, 15-4 in second chance points and 17-11 in points off turnovers. Williams was the catalyst off the bench with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He matched Kedrick Curtis (20 points, nine rebounds) in pacing all SHU scorers.
Gabe Gillespie had 16 points and Edir Ortiz 14 to round out the Griffins' four double-figure scorers.
Kutztown shot 44.6% (25-of-56), but were just 4-of-19 from 3-point range.
Yahmir Satterfield (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) had eight points and
Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) a team-high eight rebounds.
Bryant moved past George Krell (1,467 points) for seventh on KU's all-time scoring list. He's 40 points behind Butch Hills (1,525) for sixth.
The Golden Bears close out the weekend with another PSAC crossover at California (Pa.) on Saturday at 3 p.m.
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